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Athletic Good

1:19

morning, welcome to the Daily Football Briefing

1:21

from The Athletic. It's Wednesday the 1st

1:24

of May. I'm Adam Leventhal and on

1:26

today's show... Vinny

1:30

Jr. stars for Real at Bayern. Madrid,

1:33

as they so often do, they find another

1:35

way to put things around again. Can Dortmund

1:37

stop Mbappe tonight? Clearly there's going to have

1:39

to be some protection. Emre Chan will have

1:41

to be something approaching his best. And Ipswich

1:43

are just a point away from the Premier

1:45

League. Big opportunity now,

1:47

Kiefer Moore! This

1:51

is the Daily Football Briefing with Adam Leventhal.

1:56

We start with last night's Champions League

1:58

semi-final first letter. And Beniteus

2:01

Junior was the main man for Real

2:03

Madrid scoring the opener. It's a really

2:05

good run, it's a great ball

2:07

and it's 1-0, Beniteus

2:09

Junior. But then Bayern turned

2:11

it around. Mendy and Trent have Sanne

2:13

and Sian scored! Peter

2:15

Brilliant from Nino and Sanne. He

2:18

can send it left and does, Muciala's in a good

2:20

position. Muciala as he calls the

2:23

penalty, the penalty to Bayern Munich.

2:25

2-1, Harry Kane. Sanne

2:29

and Kane with his 43rd of

2:31

the season making it 11 Champions

2:34

League goal involvements, the most

2:36

ever for an Englishman, put the Germans 2-1

2:38

up in the space of 4 second half

2:40

minutes before Vinny Junior bookended

2:43

the night with 7 to go.

2:45

Oh nicely done, now it's not a

2:47

penalty it is. Here he comes. 2-2,

2:51

Vinicius Junior. So

2:53

at the finished level, Real with the

2:55

psychological edge, here's our Spanish expert, Dermot

2:57

Corrigan. Madrid will feel confident of completing

2:59

the job next week at the Bayern

3:23

opening stages of the game and then how they allowed

3:25

Bayern back into it when it looked like after

3:27

it was an amazing assist and Vinicius really

3:29

good finish, it looked like they had the

3:32

tie in their hands really and then Bayern

3:34

came back into it. But again, Madrid as

3:36

they so often do, they find another way

3:38

to pull things around again and they will feel that

3:41

they can do it. Neither team is

3:43

perfect, both teams showed weaknesses, two

3:46

big European heavyweights having trading blows

3:48

and it coming out equal. But I think

3:50

in the end, they will see

3:52

themselves as favourites and it's just all really well

3:54

set up for another great European night at the

3:57

Bernabeu on Wednesday. Harry

4:00

was at the Allianz Arena and reasons

4:02

for Bayern to feel optimistic too. Yeah,

4:04

I think Bayern Munich could be really

4:06

encouraged with their performance. They were dominant

4:09

throughout really. I think Real Madrid have a

4:11

knack for not necessarily being in the game

4:14

for long periods and then sucker punching you

4:16

just at the right time for

4:18

them, the wrong time for the opposition. I think

4:20

looking at the very overall numbers

4:22

of the game, Bayern Munich had more shots,

4:24

14 shots to 10, just about edged the

4:26

possession as well. But I thought tactically it

4:28

was really interesting the way that they set

4:30

up because typically they play in a 4-2-3-1,

4:32

but they set up in more of a

4:34

4-2-2-2, especially in the first half,

4:38

which I thought was really interesting. I asked Thomas

4:40

Tuchel about it and he said that it wasn't

4:42

quite working, so he made the changes at half

4:45

time to go back more to a 4-2-3-1. But

4:48

it shows the versatility that they can operate

4:50

with and try and punish Real

4:52

Madrid again in the second leg. I think

4:56

the fact that they did have more shots

4:58

and some good shots at that in the

5:00

second half, I think they'll maybe be disappointed

5:02

that they didn't quite capitalise when they were

5:04

dominant because going back to

5:06

the Bernabeu next week, I think it will be a

5:09

tough ask to maybe overcome Real

5:11

Madrid at home. So they would have

5:13

liked to of course been further

5:15

ahead or have a bit more of a

5:17

cushion going into that leg. But

5:20

I absolutely think Bayern Munich can be encouraged by their

5:22

performance. To

5:26

tonight's second Champions League semi-final first

5:29

leg, Borussia Dortmund hosting Paris Saint-Germain,

5:31

who clinched their third Ligue 1

5:33

title in a row at the

5:35

weekend, making it 10 in 12

5:38

seasons. They

5:40

still want a first Champions League

5:42

win though, having lost the 19-20

5:44

final to Bayern. Peter Ratzler

5:47

covers PSG for us. Are they Peaky at

5:49

the right time? Yes, I think Paris Saint-Germain

5:51

are in the best frame

5:54

of mind and the best position

5:56

coming into this game than they have been. This

5:58

is the best form of PSG. The disease

6:00

and I think Luis Enrique sort of

6:02

alluded to that in his press conference

6:04

here in Dortmund on Tuesday A basically

6:06

outlining the he feels that the game

6:08

is come at a good time and

6:10

on. And yeah, I think performance wise.

6:13

That's. Been reflect by results of. It

6:16

does to like in all areas. As

6:18

as the managers keen to stress the team have got

6:20

better. I I stood. I think this is the

6:22

best. Or the final version of what

6:24

loose and because trying to build is all

6:26

about once in control and dominating possession and

6:28

reducing what the opponent is a with do.

6:31

On. The but when it and the still aspects of Up

6:33

A too Soon. Within. The sets

6:35

of the they have T Plaza performing

6:37

resent them benefiting from it right time

6:40

by the boss colors playing exceptionally wilkinson

6:42

around. Most is starting to build snowmen

6:44

as well. In attack it feels like

6:46

Pc and clank. It's nice to be

6:48

the best to. They have been all

6:50

season and as been it's quite transitional

6:52

season. Quite. Up and down. But.

6:54

It does feel like is kind of

6:56

can have the right point. Pst played

6:58

Dortmund twice in the group stages, winning

7:01

at home and drawing away. What will

7:03

they have learnt from those games? I

7:05

think those two games were very different.

7:07

The game Empires is pretty one sided.

7:10

It was one of the first impresses.

7:12

P. A C display them loose, recites

7:14

the second game. You. Know

7:17

who who is this and to end

7:19

either team could have won it neither.

7:21

Ultimately did Pst scraped through the group

7:23

stages and I think said the Psc

7:25

side that would go to do to

7:28

park is it is a different one.

7:30

In terms of them than mental preparation think he

7:33

of that in my game in the group says

7:35

away from high as a lot of questions about

7:37

their way from even domestically in the league that

7:39

haven't been in twenty games in the league at

7:41

the moment. but and we still like Pc would

7:43

give away more chances, more opportunities for opponents when

7:46

they're on the road. Those results of his heart

7:48

and winning in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad to

7:50

did very well in the first leg and then

7:52

doing what they did to Barcelona. I think that

7:54

changes how the group feels. Expectations have

7:57

changed slightly. you know, the much of

7:59

the season. playing down Champions League hopes, you know,

8:01

what, it doesn't matter this year, that's

8:03

not the be all and end all, it's not an

8:05

obligation. However, now you're

8:07

in the semi-final, you're clear favourite to that semi-final,

8:09

you have a shot at getting to Wembley for

8:12

a final, which is a 50-50 shot, you know.

8:15

That might just change the mental side of it and

8:17

how PSG cope with that will

8:19

be interesting to see. Let's switch from

8:21

Peter to our German writer Seb Stafford

8:24

Bloor. How have Dortmund changed since those

8:26

PSG games then? I suppose there are

8:28

two different changes. The first is personnel,

8:30

so since that group stage,

8:33

Jaden Saincho and Ian Mattson have joined

8:35

the club, both online. Mattson especially has

8:37

been really, really excellent for Dortmund. He's changed

8:40

the way they attack, he's really

8:42

more of an inverted fullback than either

8:44

of the other options that Eden Perzic

8:46

had available to him. And

8:49

he makes Dortmund far better coming out of

8:51

their own defensive areas and coming through midfield.

8:53

He pops up all over the place, he's

8:56

on those places, second midfielder, second number

8:59

six. Saincho as well, Saincho has started

9:01

to look a little bit more free,

9:03

I suppose is the word, after

9:06

his departure from Manchester United and getting

9:08

out from underneath all the melodrama. The

9:11

combination between those two players is really

9:13

positive. There's real chemistry down the left-hand

9:15

side for Dortmund. The other change I

9:17

suppose is form. Marcel Sabetzer has been

9:19

a big difference maker probably over the

9:21

last six to eight weeks. He's

9:24

found a little bit of rhythm in

9:26

his game. Obviously he was extremely influential

9:28

against Atletico Madrid. So yeah, they

9:30

are in better shape. There are still some caveats and

9:32

Dortmund are still not

9:34

that fluid and I would say probably

9:36

the Atletico Madrid game was a bit

9:38

of a one-off. It's not necessarily representative

9:40

of their form in the Bundesliga, but

9:43

they probably are in a slightly better shape.

9:45

And also with the knowledge that the Bundesliga

9:47

is almost certainly going to get the fifth

9:49

Champions League spot, they're able to relax a

9:51

little bit. They know that that place

9:53

is secure for next season. And as we

9:55

know, PSG have plenty of speed in attack.

9:58

How will Dortmund try to do that? defend

10:00

against Kylian Mbappe, Usman Dembele et al.

10:02

With great difficulty, I think that's probably

10:04

the answer, because which team in the

10:07

world can control those players? I think

10:10

Dortmund will clearly have to depend upon Matt

10:12

Fummel from Nikasztof Tebek in the middle of

10:14

the fence. They played extremely well throughout the

10:16

Channesley group stages, so they'll need more of

10:19

the same. But clearly there's

10:21

going to have to be some protection. Emre Chan

10:23

will have to be something approaching

10:25

his past, whether Séli Uchan

10:28

or Felix de Mezce plays alongside

10:30

him. Not quite sure yet, but clearly that

10:32

midfield is going to have a huge role

10:34

and a full back, because we talked obviously

10:36

about what in-matt M Teek,

10:50

that's 3 Eastern, and you

10:52

can see it on Paramount+. Back

10:57

in the Premier League, and do you want to

10:59

know about some boardroom changes at Manchester United? I'll

11:02

make it so. Patrick Stewart, get

11:04

it? The interim CEO, he's

11:06

leaving, and another interim Jean-Claude Blanc,

11:09

the CEO of INEOS, is going

11:11

to fill in until Omar Barada,

11:13

who's joining from Manchester City in

11:16

July, arrives. The Chief Financial Officer

11:18

Cliff Batty is off as well.

11:20

Roger Bell is in for him.

11:23

There's further analysis on the reasoning

11:25

for the reshuffle on the Athletic.

11:28

Now you'll remember after Everton beat

11:30

Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Goodison in

11:32

that relegation scrap, the visitors thought

11:35

they should have had three penalties,

11:37

while an independent panel agreed that

11:39

one, the last one, should have

11:42

been given. His head of referees

11:44

Howard Webb on match officials miked

11:46

up on how VAR Stuart Atwell

11:49

should have interacted with on-field referee

11:51

Anthony Taylor when Ashley Young took

11:53

down Callum Hudson-Adoy on 55 Minutes.

11:57

He doesn't see a clear action

11:59

by Young. The considers to be

12:01

worthy of intervention one that way to

12:03

the threshold have been very clear but

12:05

and we would prefer intervention for the

12:07

referee to go to the screen to

12:09

make a judgment for himself in the

12:11

situation and that probably would have come

12:14

up with a different outcome. A space

12:16

out of happened the essay and Premier

12:18

League's investigations into forests reactions continue and

12:20

they remain just a point about the

12:22

to outside. Now it looks like Ipswich

12:24

will be heading up to the big

12:26

lead to make it back to back

12:29

promotions after they. Won. At Coventry last

12:31

night. said it down for thirty. Six

12:46

to one when put some three

12:48

clear of leads. In said with

12:51

one to go a points at

12:53

home against relegation threatened Huddersfield will

12:55

see them returned to the Premier

12:57

League after twenty two year absence

13:00

and see Wsl title race and

13:02

also their Champions League semi final

13:04

disappointment against Barcelona Us. Chelsea have

13:07

one of their two games in

13:09

hand on leaders Manchester City. Tonight

13:11

they're at Liverpool and. Me to

13:13

cut the gap to just three points.

13:15

It's live on Sky Sports and you

13:18

taste seven o'clock as all for today

13:20

said he full briefing with me at

13:22

Eleven South your produces what Abby passes

13:24

and and much Zimmerman and executive producer

13:27

See and Macintosh I'll be with you

13:29

again. Some or us had cancelled and.

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