On this episode, Patrick and Hayden break down the midweek Champions League action, from Chelsea’s statement win over Barcelona to Manchester City’s worrying dependence on Erling Haaland. Are the new league-phase games actually giving us useful information, or are red cards and rotation killing the stakes?

Then we turn to Liverpool, whose defensive issues are starting to pile up. With Van Dijk aging, Konaté out of form and out of contract soon, and fullbacks rotating every week, what should they actually do in January? Patrick and Hayden each bring a centre-back target Liverpool should consider.

Neel’s Man City Article: https://www.thetransferflow.com/p/manchester-city-s-over-reliance-on-erling-haaland-is-crazier-than-you-think

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:38 How red cards ruin these league-phase games

03:16 What the points cutoffs actually look like

04:02 Marseille’s comeback & Newcastle’s European profile

05:07 Chelsea’s first half performance vs Barcelona

06:12 The red card + Estevao’s brilliant goal

07:51 Cucurella’s evolution

09:38 City vs Leverkusen: the Haaland dependency problem

10:37 What City did and didn’t learn from this loss

12:08 Ajax–Benfica & the Mourinho control template

13:20 Rayane Bounida and Promise David

14:21 Malik Tillman’s development

15:19 City’s possession and pressing questions

16:24 Tillman’s large role for the USMNT

17:55 Phil Foden + City missing KDB

19:04 What Cherki needs to become

19:56 Liverpool’s defensive mess + Guehi links

22:26 Fullback additions

23:02 The expiring contracts problem

24:09 Why Liverpool still need a CB despite signing Leono

24:48 The profile Liverpool should target

26:45 Hayden’s list of options

28:58 Hayden’s pick: Mario Gila

30:27 Liverpool can be flexible on age here

33:00 FBRef comparisons

34:16 Why expiring in 2027 matters

36:05 The challenge Liverpool are facing with squad building

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