The Pressing Matters Podcast

Join Sam and Toby for the latest hot topics and a cool breeze of tactical analysis of this week's Premier League football. <hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Arsenal top at Xmas, will they have a happy new year?

Aston Villa are on an incredible 10-game winning run to be in 3rd, but it's Arsenal who are top of the Premier League at Christmas. Who has finished top at Christmas before and how did their season end?Will Aston Villa's form continue? Will United struggle without Bruno? Who is Tivonge Rushesha? Where was Jeremy Brett born? Are we uncles? We answer most of these questions in this Christmas edition of the Pressing Matters podcast.03:45 - Weekly round-up05:20 - Aston Villa vs Manchester United28:47 - Every team who was top at Christmas40:36 - Line-ups game53:47 - Sherlock Holmes and Poirot57:35 - Tom Conti59:40 - Was Dido real? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-24
01:03:31

Talking about Mo Salah for 54 minutes

Mo Salah has rocked the boat at Liverpool by suggesting it might be his last game, what does this mean for Slot's job and Liverpool's chaotic transitional season. We also talk about Wolves being bad, and other famous Egyptians.3:24 - Mo Salah situation51:30 - Premier League Egyptians54:45 - How many points for Wolves?1:04:30 - Lineups game Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-11
01:11:40

Is Thomas Frank right for Spurs?

This week, what should midtable managers such as Glasner and Marco Silva do to maximise their careers, was Thomas Frank right for Spurs, and what did we make of Arsenal's draw against Chelsea's 10 men.8:45 Thomas Frank and Spurs26:20 Oliver Glasner30:15 Ambitious midtable managers41:41 Chelsea - Arsenal1:02:00 Paqueta's red card1:04:20 Line-up game Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-05
01:12:47

Gueye's bizarre red card & Brighton's weird Left-back situation

We ignore the North London derby and Liverpool's loss to Forest and instead give some love to Everton and Brighton, although Toby still tries to talk about Liverpool anyway. Sam also has a headcold and so is even less excited than normal (until Arsenal are mentioned). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-29
54:03

Curaçao make the World Cup & will we die on the Wirtz train?

As we look ahead to this week's North London derby, we also cover the recent international break and the smaller nations that have made it thanks to the 48-team format - do we think this format is a good thing? We also answer some questions from our inbox and discuss footballer tattoos!Email us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com if you'd like to be read out on the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-21
47:56

What can Liverpool learn from defeat at the Etihad?

Liverpool lose again to a fantastic Manchester City, which means Toby is allowed to talk as much as he wants this week. We look at Slot's tactical shortcomings, and what to do with Florian Wirtz, who hasn't lived up to expectations. Sam also criticses two Spurs strikers for scoring against Man United, and we speculate about Marco Silva and his role at Fulham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-13
56:20

Are Wolves doomed to relegation?

This week, Vítor Pereira has been sacked; what next for the struggling Wolves side? Toby analyses West Ham's victory over Newcastle as life under Nuno kicks in. And in our most agonising segment yet, Toby tries to remember an ex-Aston Villa player whose name rhymes with Mings in less than 3 minutes.It's our Bonfire Night special, so please enjoy the ambient firework sounds in Sam's recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-06
59:44

How Arsenal's corner routines bring consistency

We have the final word on the corner kicks and throw-ins that have dominated football discourse this week and why Arsenal shouldn't be concerned with their high number of set piece goals. We also talk about Manchester United winning 3 games in a row. And Sam has cut his own hair! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-31
47:23

Ange's Legacy Post-Forest, and Liverpool lose again

This week: a post-mortem on Ange's speedy sacking from Nottingham Forest as we look forward to Dyche, and we look again at what's going wrong at Liverpool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-23
01:11:09

How Chelsea unlocked Slot's Liverpool, and what next for the champions?

Chelsea and Maresca left it late to find a breakthrough against Liverpool; a third defeat in a row for the champions. Arsenal slip ahead into first thanks to an Eze & Saka double-up on the right. And Amorim gets a win, is his future looking brighter. Toby also talks about Leeds, if you're into that.Email us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-08
01:01:45

Can we fix VAR? | What are Liverpool's title chances?

After a feisty weekend involving an overturned penatly at Newcastle vs Arsenal, and a whole range of controversies elswhere, we try to pinpoint where VAR has gone wrong. Liverpool dropped points to Crystal Palace, leaving Arsenal and Liverpool face-to-face in a possible title challenge. Plus Toby talks about Galatasaray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-02
57:32

How did Pep evolve vs Arsenal?

Arteta's Arsenal clinched a draw despite dominance, Aston Villa finally scored but drew to a solid Sunderland, and we discuss the Ballon d'Or rankings. Plus we slice through a lovely bit of media frenzy and Sam wants to change yellow cards! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09-25
59:35

Is time up for Amorim's system? & Nuno Retrospective

We look at two clubs who might be in crisis: Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, with Nuno leaving and Amorim holding on for now - should he stay or go? Sam meets the police in Croydon and Toby finds a way to talk about Klopp again. Plus a preview of the weekend's games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09-17
01:07:04

We Need to Talk about Fulham + Football Scarves in Greece

We've been away so it's a long old catch-up about Fulham's VAR showdown, Andros Townsend's son, and Toby's trip to Greece. Sam also sticks his neck out for Amorim's Man United.Email us at pressingmatterspod@gmail.com about literally anything and we might discuss your thoughts, if you're nice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09-08
01:28:11

Why City signed James Trafford, & Simon Hooper gets slammed

Concern for Liverpool and frustration at Newcastle after Monday's fixture. Brighton sit in 18th, we talk about them for the third week in a row. Lots of Everton chat which I didn't expect. Plus we have fun guessing next week's line-ups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-27
57:32

EZE THE GUNNER - How will Eze impact Arsenal?

With Eze on the brink of an Arsenal move, we analyse how this signing could change the team and affect their title hopes. We also talk about Brighton's press vs Fulham, and Toby has a strange idea for halftime entertainment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-22
01:01:24

LIVERPOOL OR ARSENAL? Our Premier League Predictions 25/26 (2/2)

How might losing Trent affect Liverpool's title hopes? How high can the new signings carry Man United? And who will win the Swedish Guldbollen in 2026? We answer these questions and more as we predict the top-half of the table. (Sorry to Lisandro Martinez who both of us forgot is still at Man United). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-14
01:15:47

WE'RE BACK! Our Premier League Predictions 25/26 (1/2)

We've been relaxing on our parachute payments but now we're back in the top-flight - in a new live format. We go through our predictions for the bottom half of the Premier League in 25/26: Sunderland with Xhaka, Everton with Thierno Barry, Brentford with a set-piece coach, and more!#PODBACK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-04
55:40

Mikel Arteta vs. the Referees

In this week's heated episode, we're obviously talking about the VAR controversies following Newcastle vs Arsenal, and whether we agree with Mikel Arteta's response and the ensuing media meltdown. We also talk about Chelsea's exhilarating victory against Tottenham and if Big Ange Postecoglu got anything wrong. Big thanks to Harry Gibbons for the intro music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-08
35:37

How can we fix Manchester United?

This week's pressing matters - We decide whether or not Erik ten Hag should be sacked as Man Utd boss, we cover United's lack of sporting director and style of play, plus we discuss Lionel Messi's latest Ballon d'Or trophy. Big thanks to Harry Gibbons for the intro music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-02
41:12

Recommend Channels