Sussex World reporters Jacob Panons, Frankie Elliot and Sam Morton discuss Brighton and Hove Albion's first Europa League game against AEK Athens as well as their upcoming fixture against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hiya, my name's Jacob Pannins.
00:22 I'm a reporter for Sussex World
00:24 and this is latest TV news.
00:26 And we're gonna be talking about Brighton Hove Albion.
00:28 So Sam, you were at the AEK Athens game,
00:31 Brighton's first European game.
00:33 What was the atmosphere like there?
00:34 - Incredible.
00:35 It was an amazing atmosphere.
00:36 It was obviously an historic occasion for the club.
00:38 Never been in European competition before.
00:42 So I think the fan base,
00:43 you could see really on Twitter throughout the day,
00:44 there was a real sense of kind of excitement
00:46 and people just waking up instantly excited for the day ahead.
00:49 And you really felt that when you got to the stadium,
00:52 really, there was a real sense of excitement
00:54 around the ground.
00:56 And obviously things didn't start off on the best note
00:58 when it was confirmed that Lewis Dunn wouldn't be playing.
01:02 And that was a huge blow.
01:04 He kind of knew when the team should be announced,
01:06 that would be tricky for Brighton.
01:08 - Darren Howard and Sam Morton here from Sussex World.
01:10 We're just outside the Amex Stadium
01:13 after Brighton's 3-2 defeat to AEK Athens
01:16 in the Europa League.
01:18 Their first ever Europa League campaign
01:19 and I'm still trying to work out how they lost Sam, really.
01:23 They had so much possession.
01:26 But AEK Athens, they're two set pieces
01:29 and they were just quite ruthless on their counter-attacks.
01:31 - Yeah, a strange game, really.
01:33 Brighton, Rob's conceded early on from a corner.
01:38 It was a cracking header.
01:40 It was a really well-worked kind of goal from Athens, really.
01:45 A disappointing goal for Brighton to concede,
01:47 obviously it was unmarked on the edge.
01:49 The header itself, nothing anyone could have done about it,
01:51 really, Jasey Steele had no chance.
01:52 - Great header.
01:53 - Yeah, probably the best header I've ever seen live.
01:55 - Yeah, yeah.
01:55 - It was incredible.
01:56 And Brighton, yeah, they responded well
01:58 and they managed to get an equaliser from the penalty spot.
02:02 It was a blatant penalty that somehow wasn't given
02:05 in real time and it needed a VAR check to obviously
02:07 to give it.
02:08 And you thought, from when they scored that,
02:11 it was a confident penalty from João Pedro
02:12 and you thought from then,
02:13 Brighton would maybe go on and get a second goal.
02:16 - To kick on, yeah.
02:17 - Kick on a little bit.
02:18 But that didn't really happen
02:19 and Athens took the lead again.
02:21 And there's another set piece,
02:22 there's a free kick that went into the box
02:25 and Brighton just couldn't clear the lines
02:27 and the back kicker almost stood on the ball,
02:29 nearly got there, but just didn't do enough to clear it.
02:32 And there was another kind of blow,
02:33 another set piece, goal conceded.
02:36 And you thought it was back to square one again.
02:38 - It was, yeah.
02:38 - And then another deja vu situation
02:40 where João Pedro's foul in the box,
02:42 somehow not given, needed a VAR check,
02:44 and he steps up and scores it again.
02:46 You think right now they'll finally go on and win the game.
02:49 And it's just, again, they just,
02:51 they couldn't quite find that goal
02:52 and then they're punished for it.
02:54 Another poor goal to concede really.
02:56 Ball over the top, Lamptey was probably a bit too soft.
02:58 - Yeah, he got bundled off the ball a bit there, didn't he?
03:01 - Obviously he's a small lad,
03:03 he can't really hang too much, I guess, for that.
03:06 Which is, yeah, a disappointing goal,
03:08 a goal to concede really.
03:09 - Obviously things just didn't work out
03:12 as they might have hoped.
03:13 And it was a difficult night for Brighton really,
03:16 against a side that was really smart in the way they played.
03:19 They really dealt with Brighton's threat really well.
03:22 And they did manage to win the game, Athens 3-2.
03:26 It was an exciting game, I think, obviously.
03:28 One that Brighton probably should have won
03:31 the chances they had,
03:32 but they really did find it difficult to break down Athens
03:35 like they often do in the Premier League.
03:37 And it was a real eye-opener
03:39 to how different Europe is to the Premier League.
03:42 - Definitely.
03:43 And Frankie, obviously you could argue
03:45 that this home game against Athens
03:47 was the easiest game of the group.
03:48 You know, they're in a group of death.
03:51 How do you think this is gonna fare with them
03:53 going forward and getting through the group?
03:55 - It was always gonna be challenging,
03:57 regardless of how they did against Athens.
04:00 But I think it is a wake-up call
04:02 to how difficult all European games can be.
04:04 I don't think it was ever gonna be an easy game
04:07 for any team that Brighton drew,
04:08 whether that be the three teams
04:09 they did eventually draw in Group B,
04:11 or if they drew another sort of lesser side
04:15 from a lesser nation, say from Azerbaijan or Slovenia,
04:18 so like any of those teams,
04:20 it was always gonna be difficult
04:21 'cause Brighton are completely new to this.
04:22 And teams like A.K. Athens,
04:24 although they do not have a star-studded lineup
04:26 in regards to players that are very well-known
04:28 across Europe, they are Greek champions.
04:30 And that means that they've got a team of winners
04:32 and know how to get through tough games,
04:34 'cause let's not forget, you know,
04:36 in the Greek League, there are teams like Panathinaikos
04:38 and Olympiakos who've got much bigger budgets
04:40 than teams like A.K. Athens.
04:42 So that was always gonna be the problem
04:45 in the stumbling block.
04:45 And I think going into that thinking
04:46 that Brighton would be favorites
04:48 was probably a foolish mistake for fans to make
04:50 because Brighton are always gonna be underdogs
04:53 because they are so new to this format.
04:55 In regards to the rest of the group,
04:57 I don't think they have much to be worried about
04:59 because they still played well.
05:00 They still have the potential to beat all three teams,
05:03 especially at home, with the home advantage.
05:06 You've got to look at the form of Ajax.
05:08 You know, for starters, obviously,
05:09 they're in a complete disarray at the moment.
05:11 So although it's the biggest name on paper
05:14 that in regards to action on the pitch,
05:16 they don't really have much to fear.
05:17 Same with Marseille at home,
05:18 although Marseille have built a very good side this year
05:20 and are doing very well in League One.
05:23 Those two games, I think, at home,
05:24 right at the Amex,
05:25 are still a potential to pick up six points.
05:28 And obviously, they'll learn a lot
05:28 from the A.K. Athens experience
05:31 and look to beat them away from home as well
05:33 when they travel to Greece.
05:35 So Brighton also play very, very well
05:37 away from home in dessert,
05:38 but we've seen that record as well.
05:40 So although all three away games will be challenging,
05:43 they will fance themselves due to their track record
05:45 of how they've played in big games
05:47 against the top six away from home in the last year or so.
05:50 So it was a disappointing blow,
05:52 but I think it's more of a learning experience
05:54 of how European football is played.
05:56 And I still think they can come out quite strongly
05:57 from this group.
05:58 - And I was speaking to one Brighton fan after the game,
06:02 and he said he didn't even care about the result.
06:04 He said, and a lot of people he knew as well,
06:06 weren't that bothered by the result
06:07 because they were so happy to be in Europe.
06:09 Is that something you noticed at the game, Sam,
06:11 that people were more appreciative
06:12 of the position they're in now
06:13 rather than that hung up on the result?
06:15 - I think in the days following the game,
06:17 I think maybe people can maybe look back
06:20 and just think how incredible it is.
06:21 But I definitely felt in the stadium at the time,
06:23 there was a real sense of disappointment,
06:24 I think, especially when those goals went in,
06:27 especially the three-two goal
06:28 where you really thought Brighton had equalised
06:30 for a second time, they're in the ascendancy,
06:32 and you thought there's only gonna be one winner
06:34 from then on.
06:35 And then to lose it after that was a bit of a blow.
06:37 And you did kind of feel like the atmosphere
06:39 was kind of sucked out of the stadium at that point.
06:42 You definitely felt there was a little bit of disappointment.
06:44 But as you say, I think when you look back on it
06:47 and you really reflect on things,
06:48 and just to be in Europe is incredible, really,
06:51 just shows how far the club has come.
06:53 And as Frankie said, the group is nowhere near over,
06:57 you think, and Brighton, that kind of historically
07:00 do struggle against the so-called lesser teams
07:02 that do sit back with a little bit of a low block.
07:04 And that's something that Brighton don't always find easy,
07:07 but against teams like Ajax and Marseille,
07:09 obviously from their free-all draw,
07:11 you can see they're gonna go at it
07:12 and they're gonna really come at Brighton
07:14 from an attacking perspective, you would assume,
07:16 and that should play into Brighton's hands.
07:18 So it'll be interesting to see how streetwise
07:20 Ajax and Marseille have to be to kind of counteract Brighton.
07:24 But I think, yeah, as you say,
07:25 there's definitely no reason to be disappointed with that.
07:28 And there's so many more games to win in Europe
07:31 and to try and get through to the knockout rounds.
07:34 - Definitely.
07:35 Frankie, we sort of saw following the Athens game
07:37 and going into the Bournemouth game,
07:39 Deserby rested a couple of players,
07:40 including Matoma, who didn't play in the first half.
07:43 And then when he did come in in the second half,
07:44 made a big difference.
07:46 Do you think this was sort of the first maybe setback
07:48 or the first experience the side have had
07:50 with this rotation that's been forced upon them
07:52 due to their European journey?
07:54 - As in, was it, did it have a negative effect?
07:58 - Or how do you think the club will adapt
07:59 with it going forward?
08:00 And do you think it maybe was a shock
08:01 for the dressing room to deal with something
08:03 where this is a pretty inexperienced team
08:05 in regards to European football?
08:07 - Yeah, I mean, it's, I feel that they probably
08:11 changed too much going into Sunday's game.
08:13 I think they made nine changes before the Bournemouth game.
08:16 As much as obviously they will still have to adjust
08:19 to playing three times a week.
08:21 You still need to keep the core of the team the same.
08:22 That's the principle of football that any team can follow
08:25 because obviously that is what makes a successful side
08:29 is having a core group of players
08:30 that play week in, week out.
08:33 And to make nine changes,
08:34 although there is a very strong bench, Brighton-Haberner,
08:36 their squad is a lot better.
08:39 It's about utilising more your substitutes, I think,
08:41 which is something I think deserve to be learnt
08:43 from the game on Sunday.
08:45 Obviously they didn't play particularly well
08:46 in the first half.
08:47 They were one nil down.
08:48 It, you know, in the first 25 minutes
08:51 didn't really get going.
08:52 Sort of a bit slight hangover from the Athens game,
08:55 emotionally, I would say,
08:56 plus the fact that it was a whole new team playing.
08:59 I think the utilisation of players off the bench
09:01 over the last 25, 30 minutes of games,
09:03 which could have been used better in the Athens game,
09:05 I thought, to be honest,
09:06 I thought substitutes could have been a bit more clever.
09:07 They were used effectively against Bournemouth
09:09 and that's what got them the result.
09:10 But I think going forward,
09:11 if they can use those more effectively,
09:13 the squad rotation thing won't become as major an issue
09:15 as maybe some may fear
09:17 because there's actually quite a good,
09:19 strong bench in place now for Brighton to cope
09:21 with playing three times a week.
09:23 - And just to sort of touch on there, Frankie, with Bournemouth,
09:27 they're still without a win in the Premier League
09:28 with their new manager.
09:29 How do you see them going for the rest of the season?
09:32 - I don't actually feel there's too much to fear for Bournemouth.
09:36 I know it's been a difficult start.
09:38 They've obviously got a new manager in place
09:39 and they've spent a lot of money in the summer
09:41 for a team who'd be battling against relegation.
09:43 I think their home form will help them.
09:46 I think they'll be able to stay up a strong,
09:48 it'll be difficult to get results at the Vitality Stadium.
09:51 I think that was shown in the Chelsea game,
09:52 although Chelsea created more opportunities,
09:54 I felt Bournemouth were always in the game.
09:56 And if you're in the game in those sort of grounds
09:59 and you've got 15, 20 minutes to go,
10:00 it can really spur the home side on.
10:01 There was a lot of quality in there as well,
10:03 I think, going forward.
10:04 Clive Vert, the new signing, Sinisterra,
10:07 obviously Solanke and Billing who are already there,
10:09 Ryan Christie as well.
10:11 They've got the players in place there to cause problems.
10:13 And then we showed it in the first half against Bryan
10:15 that they have the quality to hurt teams.
10:17 So it's been difficult.
10:18 And obviously they're still getting over the fact
10:20 that they've changed manager in the summer.
10:22 But regarding are they in the worst three teams
10:26 in the Premier League this season, I don't think so.
10:27 So they'll be in the lower half for sure.
10:30 They probably will be in a relegation fire, I don't doubt.
10:32 But I see that there is enough there for Cherries fans
10:35 to not worry too much about relegation.
10:37 - And Sam, obviously coming back from a goal down to win,
10:56 is that just another positive for Bryan
10:58 and another thing they can take onto the rest of the season
11:00 that they know they can come back from deficit?
11:02 - 100%, it just shows kind of the quality that they have.
11:05 Obviously, as Frankie said, on the bench
11:06 to be able to change things up,
11:08 things weren't going to plan in the first half.
11:10 You can bring on a player with the quality of Karim Thoma
11:14 and literally takes him, what, 15 seconds to find the net.
11:18 And it was nice to see Antti Fatih involved in the goal
11:21 as well, it's his first goal since he's come in.
11:24 And to be able to bring those two players on at half time
11:27 and just to change the game in a matter of seconds
11:29 just speaks volumes really,
11:30 just shows how important that squad depth is.
11:33 And as Frankie said, last season,
11:34 they didn't really have that.
11:35 They were sticking with the same players
11:37 and you maybe saw a little bit of fatigue
11:39 as the season went along,
11:41 but also still matched infantry despite that.
11:44 But now just having that squad depth
11:46 to really rotate players, and we've seen that.
11:48 The team's been different every week so far
11:50 and they've won five out of six games in the league so far.
11:53 So you have to wonder, I mean,
11:55 how good could they be when they have maybe a settled side
11:57 and players that are getting frequent run of games,
12:00 hitting their top form.
12:02 It could be incredible for Brighton, really.
12:05 Well, I think one player that does need to save fit
12:08 is Lewis Dunk and we've really seen that
12:10 with the Athens game.
12:11 When he's not there, you really do miss him.
12:13 And I know obviously Igor will develop into the role
12:16 and will, I'm sure, improve as time goes on,
12:19 but it was a real baptism of fire for him, really.
12:22 And there was such an obvious kind of lack of leadership
12:26 and obviously, he was conceded twice from set pieces
12:30 and that doesn't really happen with Lewis Dunk there.
12:32 From his height, he can clear it,
12:33 and also he just makes sure everyone's in the right place.
12:35 So it's vital that he stays fit as long as possible,
12:38 like he did last year.
12:40 But I think in most areas of the pitch,
12:41 there is always someone you can rotate out.
12:44 And it was great to see Buleva get his first start against,
12:47 sorry, his first appearance against Bournemouth.
12:49 He looked really good when he came on.
12:51 Seems to start really well in the midfield.
12:53 So I'd really like to see him start against Chelsea,
12:56 so we can see how he does from the start.
12:58 - Well, so you've been impressed with Buleva.
13:00 And Frankie, what are your thoughts on Ansu Fati so far?
13:03 - Yeah, he's adjusting.
13:06 I mean, there's obviously the quality and talent
13:09 has been shown in glimpses there.
13:11 He doesn't seem fully fit to me,
13:13 which is, I think, what's to be expected
13:14 considering the injury problems
13:16 he has sustained over the last year or so.
13:19 And the fact he hasn't played many games this pre-season
13:22 or at the start of this season with Barcelona,
13:24 I think this is why the loan move was there.
13:26 But I expected it to be a slow burner.
13:29 I didn't expect him to hit the ground running
13:31 after, I said, the track record that we've seen.
13:34 But he's clearly a guy with immense talent.
13:36 And I think as we saw towards the back end of last season
13:39 with people like Hugo and Cissé,
13:42 I think he'll really grow into this side.
13:44 Learn, obviously it's a very difficult style of football
13:47 to learn and to adapt to quickly.
13:48 But I think post-Christmas,
13:50 maybe sort of February, January, February time,
13:52 I think we can really see Fati become a key member of this side.
13:55 But as of yet, not been a world beater,
14:00 but certainly a player of immense quality.
14:03 And Brighton have got Chelsea in the League Cup tomorrow night.
14:06 So by the time this airs, the game will probably be done.
14:08 But just to kind of quickly touch on with you guys,
14:10 how do you think it's going to go,
14:11 first of all, with you, Frankie,
14:12 how do you think it's going to go with another competition?
14:14 Do you think De Zerbi is going to be that bothered
14:16 about the League Cup this season?
14:18 Absolutely, absolutely.
14:19 Yeah, it's an opportunity to win trophies,
14:21 which is what I think the club is aspiring to do.
14:24 I think that is the next step for them,
14:27 is to win a trophy.
14:28 And I think they were very disappointed
14:30 not to go further in the Carabao Cup last year
14:32 when they got knocked out by Charlton
14:33 in the sort of quarterfinal stage.
14:36 So I think they'll see tomorrow's game
14:37 as a real opportunity to make a mark.
14:39 And I think we can see more rotation again.
14:42 But I have to say at the moment,
14:43 Brighton's rotation is a lot stronger than Chelsea's,
14:45 considering the form that they're in,
14:47 and also the injury problems they seem to be having as well.
14:49 So I can imagine Chelsea will play a second string team
14:52 of mainly youth team players.
14:54 But Brighton's second string team is actually full of,
14:56 you know, first teamers that could, you know,
14:59 want to be knocking on the door of the first team.
15:00 So I would imagine that Brighton will go into that
15:04 looking to name a fairly strong team,
15:06 similar to the sort of team they would name
15:08 as a rotation team,
15:10 and come away with the victory
15:11 because they're playing far better football
15:13 and are in much better form than their opponents.
15:16 - Yeah, 100%.
15:17 I think Brighton are definitely going into this game
15:19 as favourites.
15:20 And Sam, how do you see Chelsea approaching this game?
15:22 Because obviously they've had a horrendous start
15:25 to life in the Premier League.
15:26 Do you think they're going to want to keep their players fit
15:28 for the Premier League?
15:29 Or do you think they'll see this, like Brighton maybe,
15:31 as a chance to get some silverware
15:32 and maybe brush off the cobwebs
15:34 and maybe turn this around for their season?
15:36 Maybe they can see it as a good season
15:38 if they get silverware.
15:39 - Yeah, it's a difficult one, really.
15:41 I think in the position they're in,
15:43 the injuries they've got,
15:44 I kind of agree with Frankie.
15:45 I think they're going to go with a weakened side
15:47 in the Carabao Cup.
15:48 I don't think it's going to be a priority for them
15:51 this season, I don't think.
15:53 It's been such a terrible start for them.
15:55 It's kind of continued from last June.
15:56 There's kind of hope for Chelsea fans
15:58 that Pochettino coming in,
16:01 obviously they made some massive big money signings again
16:04 in the summer.
16:05 And obviously Nkunku has been out injured.
16:07 He was a big one, a big miss.
16:09 And Jackson hasn't made the best of starts up front.
16:13 Yeah, it's been such a strange couple of years
16:17 for Chelsea, really, with the quality of their team.
16:19 They just haven't been able to gel at all.
16:21 It hasn't worked for them at all,
16:22 the amount of money they've spent.
16:24 So I feel like, yeah,
16:25 I think they're going to have to start
16:27 getting some points in the Premier League
16:28 and not risk any more injuries to any key players.
16:31 So I think it's unlikely we'll see a really strong side
16:35 in the Cup, I don't think.
16:36 Now, obviously they want to win it.
16:38 They want to kind of maybe get a bit of momentum,
16:40 get the winning streak going.
16:42 Obviously every win's important.
16:43 And obviously there's a little bit of rivalry
16:45 going on with Brighton at the moment.
16:47 So I think maybe they'd want to win
16:48 for that point of view as well.
16:50 But yeah, I can't imagine they're going to put
16:52 all their big hitters out there.
16:54 - No, and even when they do,
16:55 they don't seem to win anyway.
16:56 So I think, yeah,
16:57 Brighton have got to be seen as the favourites in that one.
16:59 I'm sure they'll, like you say, be relishing,
17:01 maybe advancing over Chelsea tomorrow night.
17:04 And Frankie, we've got Aston Villa away on the weekend.
17:08 This is going to be a tough one, obviously.
17:09 Villa have been in fantastic form, not just this season,
17:11 but this calendar year.
17:13 And I guess at the moment they've been seen
17:15 as direct rivals with Brighton,
17:16 as they're both kind of the best of the rest almost.
17:19 - Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
17:21 Well, I mean, I wouldn't even say
17:23 they're the best of the rest anymore.
17:24 I think they are both Champions League
17:26 qualification contenders.
17:27 I think they've got to see themselves as that.
17:29 I think they've both been playing very, very well,
17:31 very different styles of football.
17:32 But yeah, Aston Villa, I've spent well.
17:36 I've spent big, but I've spent well in their recruitment.
17:39 I think obviously the most important decision
17:41 they've made over the last year
17:43 is employing a world-class manager in Unai Emery,
17:45 which is the same thing that Brighton did
17:46 and Roberto Di Zerbi.
17:48 So it's two brilliant tacticians
17:49 working with two very, very talented squads.
17:52 And I think we've seen it again already this season.
17:56 We're seeing United are not playing well.
17:58 Chelsea, obviously, are not playing particularly well.
18:01 And I still feel with teams like Spurs and Liverpool,
18:04 there's still maybe some bumps in the road coming up.
18:07 So outside again of City and Arsenal, I would say,
18:13 it's still very unclear about who would take
18:15 third and fourth place.
18:16 So I feel for teams like Brighton and Villa,
18:18 who are continuing their good form from last season,
18:21 whilst still, and I think that will still be
18:23 their main focus, although they're both enjoying
18:26 European adventures, is the fact that they can capitalise
18:30 again and go one further.
18:32 So it's a fantastic game to be watching on Saturday
18:34 to see how these two master tacticians
18:38 try and work each other out.
18:39 I think it'd be a really, really good game.
18:41 - And what do you think the score's going to be?
18:43 - Well, I don't imagine a high scoring affair again,
18:46 simply for the fact that Emery refuses to allow his teams
18:49 to be involved in games like that,
18:51 especially against teams he would feel
18:53 would be superior to them in ball possession.
18:55 So I'm going for a Villa 2-1 win.
18:59 - And Sal, how do you see the game playing out?
19:02 Do you think it's going to be a pretty even contest?
19:04 - Yeah, definitely an even contest.
19:06 I think, as Frankie said, both teams are quality,
19:10 they've got quality around the pitch.
19:12 They're both in form.
19:13 Villa will be obviously delighted with their win
19:15 over Chelsea at the weekend.
19:17 And I've been really impressed by Diaby so far.
19:19 So I'm quite looking forward to seeing him play
19:21 when I'm at the game on Saturday.
19:23 Yeah, I think it could be go either way, really.
19:28 I think Bryson, obviously their way form has been brilliant,
19:30 but Emery, as Frankie said, is a mastermind
19:34 when it comes to these kinds of games.
19:35 And it'll be really interesting to see the Serbian,
19:38 Emery go head to head and what tactics we really see.
19:41 And yeah, I don't think it will be
19:42 a massively high scoring game.
19:44 I think I'm going to go for a draw, personally,
19:46 either one or two, if it is a high scoring game.
19:50 But yeah, I think it'd be a good one.
19:51 It'd be good to see two in form sides
19:54 that really are looking to become a top four team
19:58 go at it, really.
19:59 So yeah, looking forward to it.
20:00 - Yeah, definitely.
20:00 I mean, I think if you're looking at teams
20:01 in the Premier League at the moment,
20:03 there aren't many teams that are properly,
20:06 properly in form other than Brighton,
20:08 maybe Arsenal, maybe Tottenham, Man City and Villa as well.
20:11 So it's going to be an exciting game.
20:13 And also, how do you see, you know,
20:16 Emery's reputation changing, Frankie?
20:18 Obviously, when he left Arsenal,
20:20 he received a bit of criticism and, you know,
20:22 almost the social media trolls were in his back.
20:24 And now it seems like he's sort of regained
20:26 that reputation in the UK.
20:28 - Yeah, I mean, it was, that Arsenal job
20:31 was always going to be a difficult one
20:33 due to the structure that was in place.
20:36 I think Arteta has now benefited from it,
20:38 but they were still trying to get the footballing
20:40 operational side up to world-class standards.
20:43 So he was very much tackling that
20:45 while also tackling the job in which, you know,
20:47 we've noticed with the work he's done
20:50 for teams like PSG and Arsenal,
20:51 that he struggled in non-Spanish speaking countries,
20:54 whereas with Villarreal and Seville,
20:56 he was clearly flourishing and was very, very successful.
20:58 But I think now he's coming to a club
21:01 where it's not as chaotic as it was at Arsenal
21:03 after, obviously, Arsene Wenger left
21:05 and the signings and recruitment for him
21:07 was not particularly great.
21:09 I think what we're seeing now is he's in a club
21:11 that has that structure in place
21:12 and we're seeing what he does best,
21:14 which is setting up teams to win football games.
21:16 It's a squad that, again, you know,
21:20 we saw with Steve and Gerrard,
21:21 it's a lot of those players still there.
21:24 They're playing, all of them have improved under him
21:28 and that's down to the quality of his coaching
21:31 and the quality of the way his team's set up.
21:33 It's not particularly entertaining, I wouldn't say.
21:35 It's not particularly attractive on the eye,
21:38 but he knows how to get results
21:39 and also he knows how to win competitions.
21:42 So we're now seeing that in him, which is great to see.
21:45 And I think under a little less spotlight
21:47 than maybe a top six club,
21:48 he's been able to do that a bit more
21:50 without so much scrutiny.
21:52 But I've never had any doubt
21:53 that he's one of the best coaches in the world, for sure.
21:55 (upbeat music)
21:58 you