S02 - Ep014 - A Clear, Clear Pull

Liverpool led twice in Istanbul and held those leads for nine minutes. Four days later, at Selhurst Park, Palace created as many big chances as they did, and Liverpool still won 3-1. Is Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool closer to the side that lost in Turkey or the one that won in south London?Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through both games, assess what Iraola is building, and decide who stays and who goes when contracts expire next summer.Sandeep calls the Fenerbahçe defeat unprofessional: Liverpool thought they’d win because the opposition were poor, and should have shut the game down at 2-1. We cover three set-piece goals from a side that hasn’t conceded one in the league, and Alisson’s struggles with the ball at his feet.At Palace, the result mattered more than the performance. We cover Wirtz’s first league goal in 197 days, Alisson’s saves and the stoppage-time penalty, plus Sandeep’s case against Kerkez as the long-term left-back. Then the big debate: is Liverpool’s front four already better than Arsenal’s, and is the back six the only thing between them?On Iraola: his pressing numbers against Klopp’s and Slot’s, why the missing holding midfielder undermines everything, and Sandeep’s B-minus report card.Then the contracts: Alisson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Tsimikas, Endo, Elliott and Araújo’s £47.1m option, followed by the summer priorities.Plus… the top-four race, and the Champions League fixtures that decide the top eight. Next week: a rivals special on United and Chelsea during the international break.Hosts: Tej and SandeepRUNNING ORDER:00:00 Cold open01:24 First reactions04:11 Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool22:46 Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool42:56 The top-four race48:51 What is Iraola building?62:56 Contracts: who stays, who goes69:15 Summer transfer priorities71:42 Sign-off This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Seventeen shots, officially none on target, and one shirt-pull that every camera at Anfield caught. Arsenal’s first league win here since 2012 leaves Liverpool nine points behind the leaders. Was this a game we should never have lost, or the clearest measure yet of how far we have to go?Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through a week that took in a Carabao Cup shootout and a defeat to the champions.They start with Chelsea, where Sandeep calls Mamardashvili’s kicking “shocking” and uses a flat 90 minutes to launch his plan for this summer: gut the squad and sign 12, Napoli style. Tej isn’t sure. Joe Gomez, 280 appearances without a goal, gets his moment in sudden death.Then Arsenal. Sandeep calls Arteta “a coward” for his substitutions and says the Nyoni-for-Szoboszlai change turned the game. Tej goes through Timber’s pull on Isak, Iraola’s promise to tell his players to go down, and Mac Allister’s clash with Madueke. Sandeep declares Kerkez in “Moreno territory”, and the big debate is whether Nyoni is now the first name in midfield.The benchmark question follows. Sandeep predicts Arsenal will never build a dynasty, wants Iraola to drop the 4-2-3-1, and says the club should copy PSG. Tej makes the case for patience.Plus: Dirk Kuyt’s Fenerbahçe and the road to the top eight, United’s week of reckoning, and why Sandeep wanted them to draw.Hosts: Tej and Sandeep RUNNING ORDER:00:00 Cold open00:54 Our first thoughts: proud, frustrated and Arteta04:33 Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea10:43 Gut the squad?14:14 The shootout15:44 Bournemouth in the quarter-finals20:03 Meanwhile, at Old Trafford21:45 Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal36:43 Timber, Isak and VAR47:41 Nyoni off, Szoboszlai on55:38 Width, full-backs and the solid six59:11 Home form and the table1:01:51 Arsenal, the benchmark1:07:46 Fenerbahçe preview1:13:45 United1:19:09 Will Arsenal unravel?1:20:56 Predictions and fixtures1:23:02 Sign-off This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Four straight wins: one by attacking too much, one by having the ball too little. Is Iraola’s Liverpool ready for the champions?Tej and Sandeep to break down a week of comebacks and counter-punches.Sandeep calls the 4-3 over Villarreal “a stupid game”. Liverpool were 2-0 down by the 29th minute, and they stopped playing again after going 4-2 up. Iraola’s half-time change and an 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha turned it round. Sandeep wants two new right-backs, says Gomez can no longer defend, and warns that Real Madrid would end a tie like that in one leg.Against Brighton, Liverpool scored twice in four minutes and then defended for their lives on 35.6% possession. Sandeep loved the ruthlessness. He wants Kerkez sold before his value drops, thinks Gravenberch has forgotten how to play at six, and wouldn’t take Trent back. Then the controversial one: Alisson is finished as a top-level goalkeeper.The Ballon d’Or: Tej arrived thinking Kane shouldn’t have won it and changed his mind on air. 73 goals and no standout rival settled it.Plus: Iraola v Alonso in the Carabao Cup, Sunday’s predictions for Arsenal at Anfield (Sandeep 3-1, Tej 0-0), and whether United are about to make the Solskjaer mistake for a third time.Hosts: Tej and Sandeep BhogaitaRUNNING ORDER:00:00 Cold open01:04 Four in a row: first reactions03:46 Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal17:24 Liverpool 2-0 Brighton34:38 Right-backs, Kerkez and the Trent rumours42:00 Is Alisson finished?43:16 Preview: Liverpool v Chelsea46:00 Preview: Liverpool v Arsenal59:30 Ballon d’Or: did Kane deserve it?66:00 What’s going on at Manchester United?79:08 Sign-off This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Liverpool were a goal down at Brentford and not playing well. Then Yarmoliuk headbutted Jacquet in first-half stoppage time and the afternoon changed. Muñoz and Isak turned it round, Wirtz set an Opta record, and Szoboszlai and Frimpong both limped off.Tej and Sandeep go through the Brentford game and the Wirtz debate, and to look ahead to Villarreal.We start at the G-tech. Sandeep was confident before kick-off but frustrated by how Liverpool sat back at 2-1. Tej goes through Barcola’s early miss, the overturned penalty, Lewis-Potter’s header and the red card, and we ask whether Szoboszlai should have started at all. We also debate whether Muñoz only ever cuts inside, and Sandeep names the one striker in the league he’d put above Isak.The big one: Florian Wirtz created nine chances from open play, the most in a Premier League game since Mané in 2021, in the same week Carragher said he should be dropped. Tej asks whether he could be Liverpool’s Verón, and we go through what Steven Gerrard said about him on The Overlap.Then the bigger picture. Sandeep says the front four will come good and the problem is the two behind them, and he wants a midfielder and a right-back in January. We get into where the Kerkez we signed has gone, what Julian Ward might do differently from Richard Hughes, and why Koumas is a Bellamy when Liverpool need a Fowler.Plus the Villarreal preview: the history between the two clubs, the great players who’ve worn yellow, and Iñigo Pérez, Iraola’s former assistant at Rayo. We pick our starting XI, Sandeep wants to take the big names off at half-time to keep them fresh for Brighton, and he goes for 5-0.Hosts: Tej and SandeepRUNNING ORDER:00:00 Intro and first reactions05:11 Brentford 1-2 Liverpool: the build-up and line-ups08:28 Barcola’s miss and coming from behind10:00 Szoboszlai, the overturned penalty and “too nice”14:39 Lewis-Potter’s goal and Yarmoliuk’s red card19:17 Frimpong’s injury and Muñoz’s equaliser24:23 Isak’s winner and the best strikers in the league26:40 The late chances, the deciding moments and the stats29:54 Fix the midfield, not the front four33:41 Wirtz, Carragher and Gerrard on The Overlap37:13 Ward, January and the summer shopping list40:31 The midfield pivot, the full-backs and the step up48:47 Villarreal preview: the history and past greats52:53 Villarreal now: Pérez, form and team news55:00 Predictions and our starting XI57:47 AOB and outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Liverpool were the better side against Manchester City for an hour. Then Gravenberch picked up a second yellow and it was gone. Three days later they scored six in Austria and still conceded three. This week we try to work out which of those two teams is the real one.Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through both games and the Wirtz debate, and to look ahead to Brentford.We start with City at Anfield. Sandeep says Liverpool matched City for 60 minutes and the referee changed the game. Tej goes through the bookings, the chances and the inconsistency, and we ask whether Liverpool are now too nice a team to get the decisions. We also get into City’s celebrations, the verdict hanging over them, and who stood out in red.Then LASK: a Barcola hat-trick, Koumas finally getting his goal after two disallowed, and three late goals conceded after the centre-backs were changed. Sandeep has strong views on who is and isn’t Liverpool standard.The big one: what do we do with Florian Wirtz? Is it his style, the players around him, or the Premier League itself? Sandeep floats a swap deal you won’t see coming, and we both answer the question everyone’s asking: do you drop him for Brentford?Plus the Brentford preview, with Kelleher, Thiago and the long throws, our starting XIs and two predictions. To finish, Sandeep takes over on Manchester United: Jason Wilcox, INEOS, Rashford, and who we’d appoint if we were in charge at Old Trafford.Tej and SandeepRUNNING ORDER:00:00 Intro and first reactions03:31 Patience with Iraola, then Liverpool 0-3 Man City10:36 The key moments and the refereeing row19:00 City’s goals, the verdict and the stats24:35 Key performances26:31 LASK 3-6 Liverpool36:30 What do we do with Florian Wirtz?47:40 Brentford v Liverpool preview53:49 Starting XIs and predictions56:36 AOB: what’s going wrong at Manchester United?1:13:00 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Liverpool have a new sporting director and a squad that needs a plan, not another summer of patching. We map out what Julian Ward has to do, then turn to Sunday’s visit of Man City, the first Anfield league meeting since the 115 charges.Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through the squad position by position and decide who stays, who goes and who arrives.Who is Julian Ward? We look at his data-led background, his multi-club experience and what he brings to recruitment and scouting. Sandeep makes the case for giving him five years and for backing Andoni Iraola with time.We audit the squad. The goalkeepers are largely settled, with Alisson’s future the long-term question. In defence, Van Dijk stays and we debate the full-backs. In midfield we need a No.6 and more. In attack, the talent is there, but how does Barcola fit the left side?Then the three windows. January 2027 is about a holding midfielder and moving on fringe players. Summer 2027 is about full-backs and midfield depth. We also look at the Brentford and Brighton model and ask whether Liverpool should copy it.Plus the international break, with injury worries for Isak and Gakpo and travel fatigue for others. We finish with Liverpool v Man City: the Anfield atmosphere, Haaland’s doubt, both line-ups and two different predictions, a 3–1 Liverpool win from Sandeep and a draw from Tej.Hosts: Tej and SandeepRUNNING ORDER:00:00 Intro, the week’s talking points and the Man City backdrop04:00 Who is Julian Ward, and what must he do?11:53 Squad audit: goalkeepers and defence23:25 Squad audit: midfield and attack31:28 The transfer windows: January 2027, summer 2027, January 202842:35 International break check-in45:00 Liverpool v Man City preview, line-ups and predictions57:15 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

0:00 – 10:00 Blue Moon intro, then the first reaction to Man City’s verdict and the Isak and Gakpo scares. What does “liable” actually mean, and could City’s players have seen this coming?10:00 – 20:00 Could this really rewrite the league table, or is it just an asterisk? And what does it mean for City at Anfield?20:00 – 30:00 A history lesson from the Der Spiegel leaks to today’s statement. Why was City charged, and what happens next?30:00 – 40:00 What punishment fits nine seasons of breaches? We each make our case.40:00 – 50:00 Julian Ward is back. Is he the right man for Liverpool, and what should he do first?50:00 – 59:00 The injury latest, plus how we’d line up against City without Isak and Gakpo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

00:00–10:00. We ask whether Iraola has Liverpool acting like Liverpool again, and whether Isak’s goals make up for his lack of pressing.10:00–20:00. We debate squad depth, whether Gravenberch and Mac Allister have a future at the club, and who should play right-back.20:00–30:00. We call the Spurs and Bournemouth wins “good habits”, then take on Carragher’s criticism of Wirtz and ask whether the midfield needs a proper six.30:00–40:00. We ask whether Gakpo is a one-trick pony, make the case for giving Wirtz more time, and pick Jacquet as our standout.40:00–46:00. We discuss Frimpong’s struggles and look at the tough run of fixtures up to December. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

0–10: Cold open and pre-match banter — the lads check in on the Spurs Cup tie playing in the background and talk up Rio Ngumoha’s chance to state his case, before diving into the Atlético Madrid team news and both managers’ shapes.10–20: The Atlético comeback dissected — Llorente’s early sucker-punch, the response either side of half-time, and a proper debate over whether Kerkez is heading for an Alberto Moreno career or an Andy Robertson one. Sandeep makes the patience case for Iraola’s rebuild, leaning on a pressing stat he reckons tells the real story.20–30: Onto Fulham — the lineups, a big shout for Jérémy Jacquet, and an early flashpoint over Araújo versus Frimpong at right-back. A first look ahead to Bournemouth’s midfield options creeps in before the Atlético numbers get wrapped up properly.30–40: The Fulham performance under the microscope — why the front four went quiet, a formation debate (4-2-3-1 versus a narrow diamond), and the first real airing of the Gravenberch–Szoboszlai problem. Talk turns to blooding the kids and what “meritocracy” under Iraola actually looks like.40–50: The fatigue thread lands properly — three games in nine days, “no legs,” and what that says about pre-season under the new regime. Straight from there into the sporting director saga: Hughes, the Julian Ward case, a familiar Monaco midfield name, and some pointed words on how the club handled the Hughes handover.50–60: Bournemouth preview proper — Sunday’s return to Iraola’s old stomping ground, Sandeep’s bold scoreline call, and what he wants to see to actually believe it. A pivot into Manchester City’s underwhelming start sets up why the fixture list might be falling kindly.60–69: A long Manchester United tangent — the summer spend, the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparisons, the weekend’s City sending-off controversy — before a quick word on Tottenham’s managerial pressure and the sign-off. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

0–10: Tejas and Sandeep open on the Ipswich result and Barcola’s electric cameo, before Sandeep drops an early bombshell take on where this Liverpool squad really sits against the rest of the traditional top six.10–20: Full team news and a minute-by-minute walk through both goals — plus the first big penalty shout of the season, and a VAR moment the lads aren’t happy about.20–30: The stats, the standout performers, and a tactical dig into the back four — right before the biggest commercial story of Liverpool’s season breaks live on the pod.30–40: Richard Hughes is out. The boys go deep on who should replace him, and Sandeep has a theory about where the club’s ownership structure is really heading.40–50: Alexis Mac Allister goes public on his contract standoff, and the hosts lay out exactly how each of the top six spent, sold and netted out this summer.50–55: Atlético Madrid preview — starting XIs, a score prediction, and Iraola’s first Champions League night as Liverpool boss. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com