Mailbag: Ruud van Nistel-rollneck, Amorim’s Arrival, and Ballon d’iscourse

Musa's lost his voice, so Ryan is here with a very quick update about the holiday schedule. Host: Ryan Hunn Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Patris Gordon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A very happy Musa and a slightly less happy Ryan recap the end of the Manchester derby, where United came from behind late to beat City at the Etihad (04:17). They chat about the positives for United and the negatives for City and explore some more about the Man City drop-off. They wrap up the rest of the Premier League (26:22), which saw some huge results and some managerial sackings, before darting to the Bundesliga and La Liga (39:04) and, ahead of a longer episode on Thursday, discussing whether fatigue is playing a part in the inconsistency around Europe. Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Patris Gordon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin with the weird FIFA virtual conference confirming the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups, before moving on to this week’s Champions League. They recap some of the biggest games, beginning with Barcelona’s win in Dortmund (7:31) and Juventus’s 2-0 win over Manchester City that puts pressure on Pep Guardiola in the final two match days (14:15). There’s shouts for Arsenal (20:30), Leverkusen scoring the first goal anyone has against Inter this campaign (23:52), plus the brilliant Atalanta and Real Madrid game, before rounding up all the rest of the results! Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Patris Gordon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin with a quick shout for LA Galaxy’s first MLS Cups in 10 years, after their 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls on the weekend, before heading to Europe, where there are title races aplenty. They begin in Italy (4:14), where Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Milan took them top of the table, thanks also to Lazio’s win in Naples—and wonder whether this could be the year for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to win their first Scudetto. Next up, Atleti are tiptoeing their way to the top (11:30), as they and Real Madrid closed the gap with Barcelona in La Liga, plus a quick shout for the Bundesliga (15:43). Finally, they chat about the Premier League’s stop-start weekend (18:10), when Liverpool sat back and watched a number of their rivals drop points. Chelsea were the only challengers not to do so, winning another chaotic game against Spurs (26:52), this time 4-3. There is also a shout-out for another huge Nottingham Forest result and some chat about the departure of Dan Ashworth as Manchester United sporting director (35:15), after just five months in the role. Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Patris Gordon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the first 'Stadio' derby of the season, and—even though it wasn't the best game of the week—Musa and Ryan begin with Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Manchester United (03:39) before heading to Newcastle, where there was a six-goal thriller with Liverpool (19:26). They recap wins for Chelsea and Man City before heading to Spain and Germany (32:40), where Bayern lost to Leverkusen in the Pokal and Athletic Club beat Real Madrid in La Liga for the first time in nine years. Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Patris Gordon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin by shouting out Botafogo’s first Copy Libertadores triumph, with a remarkable 3-1 win over Atlético Mineiro in the Monumental. They then turn their attention to Anfield, where Liverpool maintained their incredible start to the season, beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 2-0 (03:48). They shout out the rest of the Premier League results (16:47) and more, before heading to the Bundesliga. It ended all square at the Westfalenstadion, between Dortmund and Bayern (31:56), Wolfsburg hammered RB Leipzig to put more pressure on Marco Rose and St Pauli scored their first home goals of the season to climb out the relegation zone (37:01).  Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Jonathan Fisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a week of Champions League! Musa and Ryan begin at Anfield, where Liverpool saw off Real Madrid comfortably to stay top of the Champions League after matchday eight (02:37). They touch on Arsenal becoming the first side to win at Sporting this season (12:34) and a worrying collapse from Man City against Feyenoord, after being 3-0 up (15:26). They then wrap up some other games, including late comebacks, big wins and more. Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Jonathan Fisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin with Spurs’ incredibly impressive 4-0 win over Man City at the Etihad Stadium, thanks to a James Maddison brace (02:33), which extended Pep Guardiola’s side’s run to five defeats in a row. They they round up some other Premier League results, including Arsenal’s win over Forest (22:24), Chelsea beating Leicester, which cost Steve Cooper his job, Liverpool extending their lead at the top, Brighton’s best ever start to a Premier League season and Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge at Manchester United (33:45)! There’s also a quick dart around some other leagues, including Real Madrid closing the gap on Barcelona, wins for Bayern and Dortmund ahead of next week’s Klassiker and more. Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Jonathan Fisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan are joined by a special guest and one of their favourite commentators, Derek Rae! They chat about the preparation and process of his commentary (03:48), how tuning in to a German radio station as a youngster led to a curiosity that would lead to covering the Bundesliga (11:16), his thoughts on Aberdeen’s brilliant season so far (43:49), the importance of accurate name pronunciations and his work on 'EA Sports FC' (57:49). Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Guest: Derek Rae Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Jonathan Fisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin with some fun grassroots football chat before turning their attention to Serie A (06.03), where just two points separate the top six. They start off by chatting about Inter and Napoli’s 1-1 draw at San Siro, thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and a Hakan Çalhanoğlu thunderbolt. They then head to the Premier League, where Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa took them five points clear (21:16), an impressive Brighton ensured Manchester City’s poor run continues (29:09), Ipswich and Wolves got their first league wins of the season, and it ended all square at Stamford Bridge. Finally, there’s a quick roundup of the Bundesliga (40:30) and La Liga (40:52). Hosts: Musa Okwonga and Ryan Hunn Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Jonathan Fisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices