In Focus with Jacob Murphy

In this week’s edition of the Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva. They discuss his journey into football coming through the academy at Benfica and his breakthrough at AS Monaco which led to his move Manchester City where he has won 18 major trophies. They also delve into Manchester City's recent form and whether they can lift some silverware this season.

Conor McNamara joins Ian Dennis & Ali Bruce-Ball to talk travel, football and language. Ian & Conor give their take on Salah after the drama unfolded with them at Elland Road. They look ahead to the Wear-Tyne derby, it’s Ali vs Ian in Clash of the Commentators, there are yet more unintended pub names, and which commentary phrases will end up in our Great Glossary? Suggestions welcome on WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369 & emails to [email protected]:35 Why we all love San Siro 04:10 The Bruges or Brugge debate returns 07:15 Salah story unfolds with Ian & Conor 09:20 Has Salah played his last game for Liverpool? 16:25 John Murray’s message from Madrid 20:45 Wear-Tyne derby among Premier League commentaries 27:05 Unintended pub names 40:20 Clash of the Commentators 46:35 Great Glossary of Football Commentary5 Live / BBC Sounds Premier League commentaries: Sat 1500 Liverpool v Brighton, Sat 1500 Chelsea v Everton on Sports Extra, Sat 1730 Burnley v Fulham, Sun 1400 Sunderland v Newcastle, Sun 1400 Crystal Palace v Man City on Sports Extra, Sun 1400 Nottingham Forest v Tottenham on Sports Extra 2, Sun 1400 West Ham v Aston Villa on Sports Extra 3, Sun 1630 Brentford v Leeds.Glossary so far (in alphabetical order):DIVISION ONE Bosman, Couldn’t sort their feet out, Cruyff Turn, Dead-ball specialist, Fox in the box, Giving the goalkeeper the eyes, Head tennis, Hibs it, In a good moment, The Maradona, Off their line, Olimpico, Onion bag, Panenka, Perfect hat-trick, Points to the spot, Rabona, Schmeichel-style, Scorpion kick, Spursy, Tiki-taka, Where the kookaburra sleeps, Where the owl sleeps, Where the spiders sleep. DIVISION TWO Ball stays hit, Business end, Came down with snow on it, Catching practice, Camped in the opposition half Cauldron atmosphere Coat is on a shoogly peg, Come back to haunt them, Corridor of uncertainty, Easy tap-in, Daisy-cutter, First cab off the rank, Good leave, Half-turn, Has that in his locker, High wide and not very handsome, Hospital pass, Howler, In their pocket, Johnny on the spot, Leading the line, Nutmeg, One for the cameras, One for the purists, Played us off the park, Purple patch, Put their laces through it, Rolls Royce, Root and branch review, Row Z, Screamer, Seats on the plane, Show across the bows, Slide-rule pass, Steal a march, Stramash, Taking one for the team, Telegraphed that pass, That’s great… (football), Thunderous strike, Walk it in. UNSORTED 2-0 is a dangerous score, After you Claude, All-Premier League affair, Aplomb, Bag/box of tricks, Brace, Brandished, Bread and butter, Breaking the deadlock, Bundled over the line, Champions elect / champions apparent, Clinical finish, Commentator’s curse, Coupon buster, Cultured/Educated left foot, Denied by the woodwork, Draught excluder, Elimination line, Fellow countryman, Foot race, Formerly of this parish, Free hit, Goalkeepers’ Union, Goalmouth scramble, Good touch for a big man, Honeymoon Period, In and around, In the shop window, Keeping ball under their spell, Keystone Cops defending, Languishing, Loitering with intent, Marching orders, Nestle in the bottom corner, Numbered derbies, Opposite number, Park the bus, PK for penalty-kick, Postage stamp, Put it in the mixer, Rasping shot, Red wine not white wine, Relegation six-pointer, Rooted at the bottom, Route One, Roy of the Rovers stuff, Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, Shooting boots, Sleeping giants, Slide rule pass, Small matter of, Spiders web, Stayed hit, Steepling, Stinging the palms, Stonewall penalty, Straight off the training ground, Taking one for the team, Team that likes to play football, Throw their cap on it, Thruppenny bit head / 50p head, Towering header, Two good feet, Turning into a basketball match, Turning into a cricket score, Usher/Shepherd the ball out of play, Walking a disciplinary tightrope, Wand of a left foot, We’ve got a cup tie on our hands, Wrap foot around it, Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.

Is Xabi Alonso’s time up at Real Madrid, why is everyone talking about Paul Pogba’s camels, how is Turkish football headed into ‘panic’, can Lens push PSG for the Ligue 1 title and what on EARTH is going on in the Polish league this season?It’s a packed Euro Leagues episode as Mina Rzouki, Guillem Balague and Julien Laurens join Steve Crossman to go through all the best stories across the continent in the last week.That includes Atalanta’s late victory over Chelsea, and the impressive performance of goalscorer Charles De Ketelaere, as well as Jamie Vardy’s form in Italy, where he’s been named Serie A Player of the Month.Turkish football commentator & presenter Can Onduygu joins the show to dissect the latest in the gambling scandal which has seen more than 1,000 players suspended, and several detained, including players from Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.Polish writer Michal Zachodny also comes on, talking about the struggles of Legia Warsaw, the 15-time champions who are currently in the relegation zone, and the uniqueness of the Polish top-flight this season.Timecodes: 00:10 An unexpected Euro Leagues F1 meet-up 01:52 Paul Pogba's camels 05:55 Xabi Alonso's uncertain Real Madrid future 19:25 Jamie Vardy named Serie A Player of the Month 22:30 Turkish football's 'growing sense of panic' amid gambling investigation, with Can Onduygu 32:00 Lens at the top of Ligue 1! 36:50 What's happening in Poland?!5 Live / BBC Sounds Premier League commentaries: Sat 1500 Liverpool v Brighton, Sat 1500 Chelsea v Everton on Sports Extra, Sat 1730 Burnley v Fulham, Sun 1400 Sunderland v Newcastle, Sun 1400 Crystal Palace v Man City on Sports Extra, Sun 1400 Nottingham Forest v Tottenham on Sports Extra 2, Sun 1400 West Ham v Aston Villa on Sports Extra 3, Sun 1630 Brentford v Leeds.

Steve Crossman reacts to Wednesday's Champions League results with correspondent John Murray and former Real Madrid and England defender Jonathan Woodgate.Journalist for Marca, Juan Castro, chats about the pressure mounting on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso after losing to Manchester City. Does he deserve more time to turn around their poor run of form? We also hear what Pep Guardiola has to say about his side's come-back win in Madrid.After Newcastle suffered a late equaliser from Bayer Leverkusen, we hear from Eddie Howe. Why do they keep making the same errors? Meanwhile Arsenal maintain their 100% win record in the Champions League this season, beating Club Brugge 3-nil. After scoring a brace, what more is there to come from Noni Madueke?Timecodes:   1'45 Real Madrid v Manchester City 17'08 Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle United 23'40 Club Brugge v ArsenalBBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries:  Thursday 11th December 2025 1700: Ferencvaros v Rangers on Sports Extra 1945: Celtic v Roma on Sports Extra 1955: Aberdeen v Strasbourg on Sports Extra 2

Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by Phil Brown to discuss the permanent appointment of Tonda Eckert to Southampton. Is there any surprise that Southampton have acted now? Should his contract have been shorter? They also discuss Blackburn’s pitch woes and the investment at Wrexham – is Phil Parkinson the man to take Wrexham to the Premier League? Heartbreak for Lyle Taylor’s Chelmsford City in the FA Cup 2nd Round, but success for Weston-super-Mare – which 3rd round fixtures are they looking out for? Plus, who will the latest additions to the ‘hard men’ XI be? And they discuss their predictions for an unpredictable League 2. And as Phil’s Peterborough Sports head to Scunthorpe in the FA Trophy, he’s been to Southampton, but has he ever been to Scunthorpe?Time Codes:01:52 – How’s Phil getting on at Peterborough Sports? 05:12 – Tonda Eckert appointed permanently at Southampton 17:34 – Blackburn’s match postponed 23:10 – Wrexham investment 31:10 – FA Cup 2nd Round 34:49 – EFL ‘Hard Men’ XI 40:05 – League 2 44:02 – 72Plus/72Minus 46:47 – Phil’s been to Southampton, but has he ever been to Scunthorpe?

It was a mixed night for English sides in the Champions League as Liverpool and Spurs both got vital wins, whilst Chelsea lost away to Atalanta. Kelly Cates has all the reaction and is joined by BBC Senior Football Reporter Ian Dennis, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock and ex-Spurs winger Andros Townsend.They start at San Siro where Liverpool ended a tumultuous few days in the wake of Mo Salah's interview with a statement win over Inter Milan. Another bad result for Chelsea meant they haven't won a game since their Champions League victory over Barcelona last month. Meanwhile, Spurs stayed in the race for automatic qualification for the last 16 with a comfortable win over Slavia Prague.We also hear from Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Spurs boss Thomas Frank as well as looking ahead to Manchester City's trip to the Bernabeu, where Xabi Alonso's time as manager seems to be coming to an end.Timecodes:  00'45 Liverpool 11'50 Arne Slot 14'20 Chelsea 17'05 Spurs 22'50 Thomas Frank 23'35 Real Madrid v Manchester City previewBBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries:  Wednesday 10th December 2025  2000: Real Madrid v Manchester City on 5 live Thursday 11th December 2025 1700: Ferencvaros v Rangers on Sports Extra 1945: Celtic v Roma on Sports Extra 1955: Aberdeen v Strasbourg on Sports Extra 2

Is Mo Salah ‘selfish’ for claiming he’s been ‘thrown under the bus’ at Liverpool, or justified? Are Aston Villa now part of the Premier League title race?Mark Chapman is joined by Conor Coady, Chris Sutton, Steph Houghton for the Monday Night Club to debate the big questions of the week.They’re joined by Liverpool fan John Gibbons to talk Salah as well as hearing from Arne Slot. Macclesfield Town manager John Rooney comes on the show as his side are drawn against holders Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, while Hearts fan Liam Corbett explains the significance behind their win over Celtic.Conor Coady gives valuable insight into how to get the most out of his ex-teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been instrumental in helping Daniel Farke turn the fortunes of Leeds United around. What chance do Leeds now have of staying up?Timecodes: 00:10 Salah’s comments 03:30 Slot on Salah 06:00 Reaction to Slot’s comments 11:00 Whose side are Liverpool fans on? 20:30 Could this end positively for Slot and galvanize the Liverpool squad? 24:45 Macclesfield manager John Rooney joins the show 30:00 The rest of the FA Cup third-round draw 32:00 Has Daniel Farke turned it around at Leeds? 40:25 What now for Leeds 43:45 ‘Humble’ Aston Villa now in the title race? 52:50 Hearts beat Celtic – with Liam CorbettCommentaries coming up this week: Tue 2000 Inter v Liverpool, Tue 2000 Tottenham v Slavia Prague on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Real Madrid v Man City, Thu 1745 Ferencváros v Rangers on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Celtic v Roma on Sports Extra.

James Gregg is joined by Andy Cole & The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards to talk Mo Salah & review the weekend’s Premier League action. Hear from Daniel Farke after Leeds fight back to draw with Liverpool. Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta have their say as Aston Villa appear to join Arsenal in the title race. And Pep Guardiola isn’t feeling Rayan Cherki’s rabona assist!01:10 Luke fulfils childhood dream 03:40 Is Mo Salah leaving Liverpool? 20:55 Leeds’ Daniel Farke excited for coffee & cake 29:10 Are Aston Villa in the title race? 35:30 Unai Emery & Mikel Arteta have their say 36:10 Any concerns for Arsenal? 37:45 Pep Guardiola not having Cherki’s rabona assist 41:10 Crystal Palace into the top four 42:35 Fight for Europe wide open 44:00 How big was Tottenham’s win for Thomas Frank?5 Live / BBC Sounds European commentaries: Tue 2000 Inter v Liverpool, Tue 2000 Tottenham v Slavia Prague on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Real Madrid v Man City, Thu 1745 Ferencváros v Rangers on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Celtic v Roma on Sports Extra.

Kelly Cates and a range of guests react to the World Cup draw!Dion Dublin, Ian Dennis & Don Hutchinson reflect on England drawing Croatia, Ghana & Panama, before we hear from manager Thomas Tuchel from Washington.Pat Nevin joins the pod to discuss Scotland drawing Brazil, Morocco & Haiti, as does Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes! We then hear from Scotland boss Steve Clarke.Julien Laurens joins the pod to look at France's potential 'Group of Death', plus how the rest of Europe's top nations may fair. We hear from Cape Verde player Roberto Lopes as they head to the World Cup for the first time, and John Bennett provides insight into the rest of Africa's nations, plus Oceania too. Tim Vickery joins us as we delve deep into Brazil, Argentina and the rest of South America.And finally we hear from correspondent John Murray, having attended a delayed, but bonkers World Cup draw!Timecodes:06:26 England group reaction 13:10 Thomas Tuchel interview 16:55 Scotland group reaction 20:55 Lyndon Dykes joins the pod 28:33 Steve Clarke interview 31:20 The rest of Europe 43:30 Cape Verde's Lopes joins the pod 48:43 The rest of Africa & Oceania too 50:26 South America chat 55:40 John Murray rounds up the drawCommentaries this weekend:Saturday 6th December PREMIER LEAGUE: Bournemouth v Chelsea 1500 KO - 5 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE: Spurs v Brentford 1500 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 PREMIER LEAGUE: Leeds v Liverpool 1730 KO - 5 LIVE FA CUP: Chelmsford City v West-super-Mare 1500 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 2 FA CUP: Sutton United v Shrewsbury 1715 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Chesterfield v Doncaster Rovers 1930 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 WSL: Arsenal v Liverpool 1200 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3Sunday 7th December PREMIER LEAGUE: Brighton v West Ham 1400 KO - SPORTS EXTRA PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham v Crystal Palace 1630 KO - 5 LIVE FA CUP: Slough Town v Macclesfield 1230 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Gateshead v Walsall 1530 KO - SPORTS EXTRA 3 FA CUP: Blackpool v Carlisle United 1730 KO - SPORTS EXTRA

John Murray, Ali Bruce-Ball & Ian Dennis talk travels, football and commentary. They reflect on a dramatic weekend of Premier League football and look ahead to the weekend’s fixtures. John is across the pond for the FIFA World Cup draw. Plus a glut of unintended pub names, heads up for Clash of the Commentators and which commentary phrases will end up in our Great Glossary? Suggestions welcome on WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369 & emails to [email protected]:25 John in Washington DC for World Cup draw 04:50 Dramatic week of Premier League football 09:25 5 Live commentaries this weekend 14:00 Unintended pub names from sport commentary 26:00 Potential twist on the theme? 28:45 Clash of the Commentators 34:50 Great Glossary of Football Commentary5 Live / BBC Sounds Premier League commentaries: Sat 1500 Bournemouth v Chelsea, Sat 1500 Tottenham v Brentford on Sports Extra, Sat 1730 Leeds v Liverpool, Sun 1400 Brighton v West Ham, Sun 1400 Fulham v Crystal Palace.All Clash of the Commentators correct answers: Acheamponh, Alderete, Ballard, Barkley, Bergvall, Beto, Bijol, Bowen, Brobbey, Bruno Guimarães, Calafiori, Calvert-Lewin, Casemiro, Chalobah, De Cuyper, de Ligt, Fernández, Flemming, Foden, Gabriel, Gibbs-White, Gusto, Gyökeres, Haaland, Igor Jesus, Igor Thiago. Isidor, Jiménez, João Pedro, Keane, Kostoulas, Kroupi, Lukic, Maguire, Mateta, Mateus Fernandes, Mayenda, Mbeumo, Merino, Mitoma, Munetsi, Muñoz, Ndoye, Onana, Pedro Neto, Rice, Richarlison, Rodon, Romero, Sarr, Sarr, Schade, Smith Rowe, Thiaw, Timber, Ugochukwu, van de Ven, van Hecke, Welbeck, Wilson, Woltemade, Zubimendi.Glossary so far (in alphabetical order):DIVISION ONE Bosman, Couldn’t sort their feet out, Cruyff Turn, Dead-ball specialist, Fox in the box, Giving the goalkeeper the eyes, Head tennis, Hibs it, In a good moment, The Maradona, Off their line, Olimpico, Onion bag, Panenka, Points to the spot, Rabona, Schmeichel-style, Scorpion kick, Spursy, Tiki-taka, Where the kookaburra sleeps, Where the owl sleeps, Where the spiders sleep. DIVISION TWO Ball stays hit, Business end, Came down with snow on it, Catching practice, Cauldron atmosphere Coat is on a shoogly peg, Come back to haunt them, Corridor of uncertainty, Easy tap-in, Daisy-cutter, First cab off the rank, Good leave, Half-turn, Has that in his locker, High wide and not very handsome, Hospital pass, Howler, Johnny on the spot, Leading the line, Nutmeg, One for the cameras, One for the purists, Played us off the park, Purple patch, Put their laces through it, Rolls Royce, Root and branch review, Row Z, Screamer, Seats on the plane, Show across the bows, Slide-rule pass, Steal a march, Stramash, Taking one for the team, That’s great… (football), Thunderous strike, Walk it in. UNSORTED 2-0 is a dangerous score, After you Claude, All-Premier League affair, Aplomb, Bag/box of tricks, Brace, Brandished, Bread and butter, Breaking the deadlock, Bundled over the line, Champions elect / champions apparent, Clinical finish, Commentator’s curse, Coupon buster, Cultured/Educated left foot, Denied by the woodwork, Draught excluder, Elimination line, Fellow countryman, Foot race, Formerly of this parish, Free hit, Goalkeepers’ Union, Goalmouth scramble, Good touch for a big man, Honeymoon Period, In and around, In the shop window, Keeping ball under their spell, Keystone Cops defending, Languishing, Loitering with intent, Marching orders, Nestle in the bottom corner, Numbered derbies, Opposite number, Park the bus, PK for penalty-kick, Postage stamp, Put it in the mixer, Rasping shot, Red wine not white wine, Relegation six-pointer, Rooted at the bottom, Route One, Roy of the Rovers stuff, Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, Shooting boots, Sleeping giants, Slide rule pass, Small matter of, Spiders web, Stayed hit, Steepling, Stinging the palms, Stonewall penalty, Straight off the training ground, Taking one for the team, Team that likes to play football, Throw their cap on it, Thruppenny bit head / 50p head, Towering header, Two good feet, Turning into a basketball match, Turning into a cricket score, Usher/Shepherd the ball out of play, Walking a disciplinary tightrope, Wand of a left foot, We’ve got a cup tie on our hands, Winger in their pocket, Wrap foot around it, Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.