Any Given Thursday

On today's Across The Contient, we're talking about the coaching carousel bearing down on Europe. The breaking news is Paulo Fonseca is ditching Lyon for Sporting after the Lisbon club let go of Rui Borges last week. Why did Fonseca see greener pastures in Portgual, does this tell us anything about the two leagues, and will he succeed in the green and white? Then we talk about Crystal Palace letting go of Pierre Sage after a run of form that sees the club dead last in the Premier League. What's going wrong for Palace, did Sage deserve more time, and who's best suited to replace him? Next, we offer up a few coaches we think should be moved on, including our favorite, Allegri at Napoli, and debate what direction the clubs should be taking instead. We discuss some coaches we think deserve more support and backing and throw out some names of coaches we'd like to see come through Atalanta, Napoli, Leipzig, and Manchester United, before closing with Maxwell's subject of the week (Falkirk's 5-match winning steak in Scotland) and David's subject of the week (Udinese in crisis at the bottom of Serie A). Cheers! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:48 – Fonseca & Sporting 10:47 – Palace sack Sage 17:13 – coaches we're sacking 25:59 – coaches we're backing 30:48 – coach & club marriages we want to see 35:49 – Maxwell's subject | Falkirk's hot streak 38:09 – David's subject | Udinese in crisis

Another jammed-packed slate of Europa & Conference League action has come and gone, and we're breaking it all down for you. In the Europa, Ferencvaros swatted aside Milan at the San Siro, while Palace and Sunderland also drop points. What's going on with these big-league sides, and are their campaigns salvageable? We share some appreciative words for the remaining perfect squads, including table-topping Ferencvaros, plus the talented Benfica and Bournemouth squads. Then we play a game of contender/pretender. Does St Gilloise belong amonst the ranks of the tournament's best after an impressive win at Celta? And where does Besiktas stand after a loss in Glasgow? We also discuss a few winners and losers, including a shockingly good start from Levski Sofia. Then over in the Conference, we address Atalanta's poor form, Ajax turning around their season, Freiburg winning in Trabzon, and Imps winning another European match. Cheers to Julio Velázquez! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:40 – Europa League | results & top storylines 18:17 – Europa League | table takeaways 26:24 – Europa League | contenders & pretenders 31:08 – Europa League | winners & losers 38:42 – Conference League | results & top storylines 47:34 – Conference League | winners & losers, table takeaways 56:25 – Conference League | contenders & pretenders

On our newest edition of our Club Spotlight series, we head over to Spain to examine the past, present, and future of Getafe CF, current participant in the Conference League. David takes us through the background of the club from the 50s onward, with a focus on the 21st century, where they've participated in the Spanish top flight for the majority of the past 25 years. He explains their sustained success despite their relatively small size, their previous stints in Europe, their perfect marriage with manager José Bordalás and his specific style of play, and a very bizarre story about sperm banks and a porn film. Cheers to José Bordalás! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 04:33 – club history 13:08 – European history 16:56 – current squad and José Bordalás 29:45 – looking forward

On this week's Across The Continent, we head over to South America for our main topic, as the finals for both the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana are set. In the Libertadores, Palmeiras and Estudiantes face off for the ultimate trophy, while Atlético Mineiro and Boca Juniors will battle for the Europa League-equivalent Sudamericana. We discuss the recent history of the continental competitions, Brazil's dominance in the Liberatadores, and give our predictions for each final. Then, Maxwell takes us over to Africa for a look at the initial stages of the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup, highlighting a couple of major clubs that have already been eliminated – South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs FC and Zimbabwe's oddly-named Scottland FC. Finally, David closes by examining the bottom-dwelling sides in Europe's top 5 clubs, including Le Havre and Málaga. Who's destined to be the worst of the worst this season? Cheers to all the continents! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:39 – Copa Libertadores final 10:36 – Copa Sudamericana final 13:06 – Maxwell's topic | African Champions League 17:48 – David's topic | European bottom-dwellers

We had another 36-game extravaganza this Thursday between the two competitions, and the tables are beginning to take shape. First, in the Europa League, we discuss a wide open field beneath the early favorites Benfica and Leverkusen. Is Bournemouth next in line after a resounding win over Milan? Where do Serie A rivals Juventus fit in after a disappointing draw with Rennes? We also touch on the Celtic derby in Scotland, where Celta Vigo came from behind to defeat Celtic in a historic cultural fixture and Belgium's rise in European competitions. Then we touch on some risers and fallers, introducing a new game called, YOU'RE TOAST, where we eliminate clubs from knockout contention, before discussing the 5 perfect teams through the first three rounds of fixtures. Are they all locks for the Top 8? In the Conference League, we begin with Lugano's shock 5-2 drubbing at Getafe. Is Getafe in serious trouble in Europe and La Liga? And just how good is Lugano? Next, we address Monaco's 3-0 statement victory over fellow contenders, Freiburg, though the game was closer then it looks. Is Monaco the clear favorite with their incredible attacking depth? Finally, we talk risers and fallers and deliver some table takeaways, including Trabzonspor and Panathinaikos' hot form, Egnatia's surprise start to Conference League life, and tough days for the likes of Atalanta and Midtjylland. And of course, we loiter for a moment on David's Coefficient Corner. Cheers to Mattia Croci-Torti! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:15 – Europa League | Results & Top Stories 17:35 – Europa League | Risers & Fallers 21:56 – Europa League | Table Takeaways 32:04 – Conference League | Results & Top Stories 44:03 – Conference League | Risers & Fallers 51:29 – Conference League | Table Takeaways 53:55 – David's Coefficient Corner

This week's Across The Continent is all about the Ballon d'Or. It's an award that has changed a lot over time, but in recent years has stirred up plenty of online debate and social media indignation. We begin by discussing the way this discourse has changed the nature of it, then David reveals his own definitive top 10 and winner of this year's prize. Then for David's topic, he takes over to North America, where the USL regular season is hurdling towards its conclusion. What's at stake as the playoff picture emerges in the USA's other top flight? And finally, Maxwell discusses the state of Tottenham Hotspur after they finally win a league game. Are they headed in the right direction? He would argue, no, not really. Cheers to Harry Kane! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 05:49 – David's Ballon d'Or top 10 15:16 – the top 3 24:25 – David's topic | USL Playoffs approaching 29:51 – Maxwell's topic | Tottenham finally win a football match

Today, we're celebrating our first Europa and Conference League double extravaganza, as 36 matches played out over the course of 5 hours on Thursday. We begin with Europa, where Benfica and Leverkusen are staking their claim as the tournament's top contenders. Milan and Juventus also come out with big road victories, while Bournemouth and Sunderland tries to build momentum with wins – though Sunderland had to work hard for theirs against a pesky Torreense. Meanwhile, Besiktas took down another big-league opponent. Are they a legitimate challenger for the title? We also discuss the teams struggling in the early days of the season, including Marseille, Hoffenheim, and Celta Vigo, who have no points to show for their first two outings. Can they turn things around? In the Conference, most of the big boys came away with opening-day wins, with a few notable exceptions. Getafe could only manage a draw in Craiova. What're the ceiling for Bordalás' men in this competition? Ajax lost at Hajduk Split, continuing another poor run of form. Is there something rotten in their infrastructure? And Braga extends their bad start to the season, losing 3-0 at Copenhagen while looking a shell of their former selves. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as a pesky Egnatia side earned a shock draw with Midtjylland, despite having to play outside of their usual home in Tirana. Along the way, we give some winners and losers, panic meter scores, and choose the teams we believe can actually win the title in both tournaments. Cheers to Nevil Dede! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 2:28 – Europa League | Results & Big Takeaways 10:32 – Europea League | Winners & Losers 20:09 – How many teams can actually win the Europa League? 26:30 – Europa League | Panic Meter 31:58 – Conference League | Results & Big Takeaways 36:23 – Conference League | Winners & Losers 45:36 – How many teams can actually win the Conference League? 48:56 – Conference League | Panic Meter 51:52 – David's Coefficient Corner

On today's Across The Continent, we're taking a look at clubs who have had surprising starts to their league campaigns and asking the question, are we BUYING or SELLING their position? We debate the bright falls of Brighton, Lazio, Cagliari, Augsburg, Elversberg, Alavés, and Paris FC, then bring a couple of smaller-league teams to your attention, including Belgium's Sporting Charerloi, Turkey's Amed SK, Hungary's Vasas SC, and Albania's FK Teuta Durrës. We also highlight a couple of struggling clubs in Tottenham, Fiorentina, and Marseille. Then, Maxwell discusses the insane parity in La Liga's midtable – a featured carried over from last season – with 8 clubs all level on 8 points through 8 rounds of fixtures. What's real and what's not in this group, and who is likely to separate? And finally, David tells us about Australian cup winners South Melbourne FC, a historic club, controversially cut off from the Aussie A League. How did they upset first division clubs en route to their triumphant victory in the final? And why are they joining the new Oceanic division? Cheers to Sinisa Cohadzic! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:39 – teams we're buying & selling 18:50 – clubs outside the top 5 leagues 23:30 – clubs off to terrible starts 30:58 – Maxwell's topic | La Liga midtable parity 34:09 – David's topic | South Melbourne FC's cup triumph

Today, we round up all the most interesting developments from the new, extended international break. We've had a long three weeks without domestic football, but many interesting things are afoot on the national-team scale. We begin in Europe, where many new coaches have taken over post-World Cup. We do quick hits on Klopp's Germany, Xavi's Netherlands, Zidane's France, as well as Italy, Croatia, Belgium, and Scotland. And yes, we talk about the very silly Ronaldo situaiton... Then we discuss goings-on in other other continents, including Messi's farewell to Argentina, the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, and Africa's usual chaos. Finally, we close on a sort-of-serious segment on what's happening down in Oceania. Hail Fiji! Cheers to Stéphane Auvray! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:06 – UEFA | Germany 05:32 – The Netherlands 10:01 – France 14:01 – Croatia 17:42 – Portugal & Ronaldo 25:09 – Italy 30:04 – Belgium & Scotland 33:53 – South America & CONCACAF 38:53 – Africa & Asia 42:34 – Oceania

It's our very first edition of ACROSS THE CONTINENT's intended format! Every Monday, we will discuss a shared topic demanding our attention across the footballing word. Then, each of us will bring a surprise subject to present to the other. This week, we have no choice but to tackle Manchester City as the main story, after it was announced they've been found guilty of nearly all 115 charges leveled against them. David the lawyer breaks down exactly what those charges stipulate, then we debate the merits of potential punishments, as well as the affect this will have on the legacy of Pep Guardiola and his players. We then turn our attention to the current international break. First, David updates us on the 12 new coaches hired by UEFA nations since the World Cup. Then Maxwell points to the shifting balance of power in the 2nd tier of CONCACAF, from Central American to Caribbean teams. Cheers to Dick Advocaat! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:16 – overview of charges against Man City 09:25 – potential punishments 17:42 – how will this affect legacies? 20:50 – David's topic | 12 new coaches in UEFA 28:19 – Maxwell's topic | balance of power shifting in CONCACAF?