Football Between The Lines

We thought Arsenal might run away with it, but Manchester City have other ideas. We discuss Brighton’s statement win, whether Maresca has the stronger squad and why Brighton or Brentford could gatecrash the Champions League places.

Elsewhere, Flav searches for reasons to stay positive about bottom-of-the-table Tottenham, we debate how much comfort xG can really offer and ask whether anyone can stop Barcelona. There’s also the Madrid derby, Millwall against West Ham and a choice between winning 5–3 or 1–0.

Plus, Dan declares ketchup is for kids, the ramekin debate returns and Flav discovers the capital of Scotland.

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The Manchester derby delivers another VAR argument, but are Manchester United’s problems the bigger story? We debate Foden’s red card, Bruno’s role in it and whether City look ready to push Arsenal all the way.

Elsewhere, Hull keep upsetting expectations, Chelsea’s defending raises questions and Coventry’s miserable start prompts an uncomfortable Frank Lampard comparison. Flav explains why he’s still positive about Tottenham despite the missing goals, while Dan searches for some normality at Crystal Palace.

Plus, Harry Kane’s Bayern legacy, the managers you want to see fail and a listener’s question about taking penalties to escape prison.

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Flav and Dan react to a chaotic Premier League weekend, including the controversial disallowed goal in Tottenham’s draw with Nottingham Forest, Gabriel’s challenge on Emi Martínez and the continued confusion surrounding referees and VAR.

They also ask whether Manchester United are becoming irrelevant, discuss why social media has distorted the way supporters judge players and attempt to make sense of a bizarre early Premier League table.

Plus, deadline-day chaos at Palace, the importance of actually watching full matches, spicy football takes, beans in ramekins and the latest developments in the Devizes pond.

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Are Arsenal already good enough to win the Premier League, and if they somehow add Julián Alvarez, is the title race basically over before it has properly begun? We also look at Chelsea’s encouraging start, whether they can emerge as genuine contenders, and why their transfer strategy suddenly seems a lot more sensible.

Elsewhere, we get into the growing trend of players downing tools to force transfers, whether keeping the window open after the season starts causes more problems than it solves, and why Premier League clubs are paying enormous fees to buy from each other.

Plus: have modern footballers actually become softer? The surprisingly revealing Pep Guardiola documentary, the end of the Holmesdale Fanatics and what it means for Selhurst Park, Brentford’s impressive evolution, Hull’s flying start, Brennan Johnson, the strange world of podcasting, Morley’s chicken and the increasingly concerning mystery of who knows where Flav lives.

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Flav deals with the fallout from Spurs' nightmare opening weekend against Brentford, while Dan tries to make sense of Palace's problems after defeat at Everton. We ask whether Brentford are one of the best-run clubs in the country, whether Arsenal already have the title sewn up, and just how unpredictable the rest of the league could be.

There's also Isak's return to Newcastle, Aston Villa's problems, Manchester United, the madness of Premier League transfer fees and your questions.

Plus: Szoboszlai's tiny feet, Championship Manager legends, football food and why sometimes a terrible burger is exactly what you want at a game.

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