 Welcome to the Premier League show joined by Billy to discuss the upcoming games this weekend, obviously no games last week due to international games, but real footy, real football is back this weekend and the first game of the weekend is the North London Derby and over on 888 Sport on the playlist, the lads are being having a chat about the rivalry between Arsenal and Trottenhameter what they've been saying. But is he really the fourth best manager in the Premier League? Is he really that? I feel so. Who's better? It's tricky isn't it? Rob, what needs to happen this year for Arthetta to be cemented forth? Do you need to qualify for the European Cup? I think he needs to get into the top four. And what happens if you don't? I think serious questions have to be asked. I feel now with the squad got to get us into the top four. If you don't get top four for whatever reason this season and I do think you will get top four but if you don't is that a sack of all offence? Cos that would be two seasons on the trot you will have bottled. I think if you get, you're not about bottling. Tottenham fan telling me about it. But you did bottle the end of last season. I mean Jesus Christ, what's the world come to? Well you did bottle it last season. I love you. I mean a Tottenham fan telling me about world come to. Listen he's under pressure to get top four. We missed out on a point by a point last season. To be fair at the start of the season I thought we had no chance of getting top four. But this season I'm looking at I think we do have a good chance of getting it. Chelsea new manager man United in transition as well. I still think that Spurs will finish above Arsenal. But I do think both of us will end up in the top four. Interesting comments there. Comments about bottling it. They've Arsenal done getting the top four of the season. Can you say they've bottled it in September? The time of recording this if they don't get in. Cos they obviously started the season really well atop of the league going into this. It's phase three third. Last season obviously as Robbie said there on the clip. They fell away by a point. Spurs piped them. But if they didn't get in it this season. Could you class it as them bottling it? I think it's way too early for that. Maybe like the last few weeks of the season. But we're only in late September. I think it'll be way too early for that. I think with them getting in the top four as well. I think obviously they're top of the league at the moment. But I wouldn't say that squad is perhaps one of the four best in the league. I don't know what you think about that. I think what Michael Arthett has tried to do with Arsenal really. Is bring in young players and try to build them up that way. Obviously there was people when he took over their strong characters. People like Mesut Erzill was still there. He managed to move him out. He's got rid of players like Obama Young. He's got rid of the Lachezette them kind of people have gone. And they've been able to refresh it all. With players, younger players. Obviously he's brought in Gabriel Jesus this season. He knows a good player. People like Zachary's got into the team. And Le Congre, he brought in from Belgium. Players like that. Obviously Martin Elly's involved. So we have decided to go with a younger model. And they've been building over a few years. He has spent a lot of money. Arsenal has spent a big amount of money over the last few years. But they are trying to build something, isn't he? I think I understand the criticism. Arsenal is always going to want to be in the Champions League. And also about the money as well, like spending more than everyone else. But I think you have to apply the context of the players they're bringing in are quite young. Playing them with the younger players like Zachar and Smith Row from the academy. So it's a bit different to other teams. I think like Tottenham, for example, with Conte. I think if you bring in Conte, you want to do well immediately. Whereas I think with Artheta, although obviously they have spent a lot. And they want to be in the top four. I think it's quite obvious that it's more of a long-term plan. So if they didn't get top four this season, I don't think it would be the end of the world. Obviously they were close last season as well. So I think there will be that expectation. But I think it's a bit different with them. Because you can sort of see what they're trying to do, I think. What's matters is obviously Robbie is saying there that if he doesn't make it this season and it's off for, it could kind of be kittens for him. I think he had to start this season well because there was a lot of criticism towards the end of last season for the way he finished. But when you talk about bottling it, I think that can only really be leveled if you're kind of like ten points ahead with like five games to go and you just go on a losing streak and you fall away, I think. It's a bit early, isn't it, as we said? I think it's way too early for that, I think. Fair enough it was in the last month of the season, the last couple of months. But I don't expect them to stay at the top of the league for that much longer. It's just the case of where they end up. I think with their players anyway, if you look at their team, a lot of them are quite young. It's more of a case of where they'll be in a few years' time, like Sacco and Saliva at the back. Obviously like Odegaard are quite young, Smith Groll. So even Jay Zeus is like 25. So I think you just have to think about where they'll be in a couple of years' time. But how good a job do you think Conti's done at Spare's? Cos obviously it took over to kind of ten games in last season that we knew no had got the bullet. And they looked bang average when they knew no was sacked but he come in and they vitalised. I mean the caveat with Spare's is that Harry Kane and son they were too unbelievable with the best Premier League partnership. Now wasn't it as a front two? When you've got those two players, as long as you're shallow at the back you've always got a chance of winning but he has done a good job, hasn't he? Yeah I think particularly last season they looked very good. I think this season it doesn't seem like they've been playing that well but they just keep seem to be grinding at the results. I think they're third in the league at the moment as well. I almost think that's perhaps not a bad thing and probably what you'll see under Conti quite a lot just because I think they'll just be able to defend quite well and then just hit teams on the counter. So I think they will get top four and I think they'll be fine with him. As you say I think with Kane and son even if you don't play well you're always going to have a chance and then they've added to that with Kuleszewski in January obviously with Charleston. I think they'll be fine and I wouldn't even be surprised if they beat Arsenal at the weekend just out of that kind of experience the older side and obviously you've got Conti he's very good tactically. Obviously he's like bent a carry we brought in in January as well he's done very well and he's knitted nicely with Hwybeg and they've got a very solid ante space with that obviously the brilliant sufferance. I think they did it last season when they were like I think someone got sent off, was it Ben White or something like that and they were just trying to wind up the Arsenal players and was like old man in them a bit I think and they beat them quite comfortably and held them in the end. So it wouldn't be that surprised, even though Arsenal have looked a lot better so far it wouldn't be that surprised if it's got the result there. Contrivesial they've gone for a spare's away wind fair enough, fair enough. Bournemouth feet Brentford also on Saturday Bournemouth done OK if late and they covered from that nine nil the feet by Liverpool so I took four points in the last couple of games. It's a weird one with them because I think everyone expects them to go down as like 20th like being terrible like not really adding to their squad much but they're actually doing all right like sort of in their mid table at the moment so there's a weird one with them obviously Scott Parker leaving as well but I think you sort of expect Brentford to win that but Brentford are obviously showing but they've got good players like Tony and the front three are always a handful. Palace and Chelsea obviously Grey and Pottet and Grey and Pottet's first league game isn't it? The Champions League game then obviously the Liverpool game was off wasn't it? So it's his first Premier League game and it's a tricky one for him going to Crystal Palace. I think it's a tough one for Grey and Pottet I do rate him but I almost felt like he perhaps should have had a sort of console club in between Brighton and Chelsea. I think Brighton at the moment are kind of better than some of the clubs that are bigger than them I just think in terms of like the size of the club and like pressure I just think it's a huge step up and I think it probably wouldn't would have been worthwhile him going to like even like an Everton or a Newcastle West Ham kind of team. I don't know it's a big step up I think and it's a bit of a weird fix it's not the kind of manager that they usually go for but yeah I'm not sure. It's an interesting one because obviously he's highly dated, I think he's an excellent man If Chelsea truly invest in him and leave him in place for a few years he could do really good things there with them he plays nice football he knows what he's doing tactically it could be a good project if they back him he's got good players at his disposal and if they buy into what he's doing he could have an uplift a bit he's not on Conti's level but similar to the way Conti revitalised Tottenham last season because there was a lot of pieces there already you could see that from Potter and obviously you know if they win at the weekend you know it's a huge, his first game Palace 1 win 3 draws 2 defeats on 6 points at the moment it's a tricky place to go but it's a game that Chelsea could easily go win 3-0 and just be one of those performances. There's a thing with Palace I think even last season and again this season they sort of looked a bit better than they are more like attractive football than under Hodgson but I don't think the results are hugely better. I think they got a few more points last season than they did the year before and again this season I think the performances have been better than the results or they looked better so it would be interesting they've got good attacking players obviously like Zahar and Eze at least say but perhaps not as good as they look I think. It's interesting. Ffollwm newcastle Markhow Silver they've had an excellent start having a newcastle they've been alright they've been ok Ffollwm surprise you how well you've done. I remember people saying about them in the championship they did have a much better squad than everyone else so I think them coming up it's perhaps a bit different to like a Bournemouth a forest to replace the whole team but even then I think they've done better than I thought and it seems like Mitrovic has carried on his form into the Premier League up until now I think he's always struggled with it in the Premier League like Newcastle and Ffollwm but he seems really good now probably one of the better strikers around they've been well Newcastle one win five draws one defeat they're three points behind Ffollwm so it's tricky one Liverpool around to Brighton obviously Brighton is a new manager for the weekend but you'd expect Liverpool to win this one wouldn't you you'd expect so but then again obviously they haven't been quite as good this season maybe a new manager bounce of Brighton it might help them along but a difficult one to call I think Brighton won four out in the six games Liverpool just two out there out in the six but Amfield it's a tricky one to call isn't it Southampton play Everton both on seven points they've got them on goal difference this got a draw rating all over it I think so yeah I would be quite happy with the draw I was saying this before I'd be happy with the draw if you just look at the game individually but then I think if you consider the next few games for Everton it's probably worthwhile winning this one I think because if they don't I think it could get quite tricky in the next few weeks I think it's United Tottenham Newcastle I think so I think in the context of the next few weeks could probably do the win for Everton really It could be a tricky spell West Ham Walls, West Ham's surprise how poorly they've started I think under Moise I thought anyway like he'd do a similar thing to what he did at Everton where it's just consistency for like ten years or so and obviously he's done well for a couple of years but it just seemed to massively dropped off but they have added quality you'd think anyway with like Scamaca the centre back as well I guess so you'd think they would have been able to push on but it's really struggling Is it just a slow start for Moise we've seen this at Everton didn't we had the occasional season where we just started really slow and then he got it together I mean he's lost five if they're opening seven games but when you add it to the end of the last season I'm sure it's something like 10th to last 13th he's lost or 10th to last 14th so they're in a little bit of a slump he's got to really get a result here I was near against a Wolves team who were on a two-point ahead that I'm in the table It's difficult one to call because obviously there's players who did well last season people like Bowen Ryse and they've managed to keep hold of them but then they've added to that with players who should be really good and you'd think they'd be able to push on and especially where like a lot of the other teams in the league don't look particularly good like Leicester have dropped off a lot I think Villa have got some decent players but sort of nowhere near at the moment so it's time to be able to get like 7th to it sometimes on On to Sunday is Manchester Dabi City be united Manchester City lying in second place at the moment and United have obviously had a big up turn following the first two games which they lost City could with Eiland Harland I mean how impressed have you been with him because he's just been unbelievable so far hasn't he yeah he's quite scary he just seems to score every game and it's just like I don't know just everything about and physicality obviously is like 6 foot 5 he's really quick, strong his movement, finishing and yeah I actually don't think City have looked quite as good this season as they did for a lot of last season I think there's a few results where they just haven't I was at a Villa game wasn't there Villa and even Newcastle I think they struggled a bit against Dortmund and the Champions League I think they'll get there eventually and win the league quite easily but yeah I think we united though interesting to see how they set up because it seemed like they've gone a bit more like they were under Solskjaer like sort of counter attacking which under Solskjaer did work against City sometimes so interesting to see how that plays out but then you've got like Lassandra Martinez I know people have sort of stopped talking about his height but you're thinking against Harland that's a mismatch I mean Harland's been I think City will win it by miles so to be honest they've got everything and they've got him he's a machine and he will win games on his own cos he's just games that they might as well and now the Villa game is strange when they should have won it at the end and City being City with like extra passes Newcastle was a weird one there were three on that so they could have won it should have won it earlier at the end but with Harland we've always got a chance I think I mean looking at Man City goal difference plus Reddensea you know that they've man united just not so you know united has scored and loads of goals this season a City are so we'll have to see how well United's defenced us that's the thing with City like I expect them to get even better there's not really the more arsenal and I don't really expect them across the 38 games to be able to keep up with City so I expect them to win the league yeah definitely Leeds Villa the final game on Sunday Villa big win last time out against Sheldampton give them 7 points Leeds have got 8 points two of everything Leeds have had so far so how do you see this one I feel quite an interest in one I think that would probably be one of the better games to watch Leeds are quite good to watch especially with some of their new signings like a couple of Americans look quite good I think Villa like try and play with some sort of like sort of pace and like physicality like sort of Ramsey and like McGinn I don't know maybe Leeds just to edge it or perhaps a draw with the cloud it's always quite an atmospheric place it's a tricky one to call it's always injured isn't it for Villa which would be a big miss yeah it's interesting and then the final game on Monday night the bottom two Leicester against Nottingham Forest this is a huge game for Brendan Rodgers Leicester but out of win six defeats in seven games Forest have only had that one win which was against West Ham has he got to win this Rodgers will he be sacked if they don't win this one I would have thought so I think when you're already that bad and then you lose to sort of the next worst team I think it'd just be a bit embarrassing as well I don't really think Forest are all that either that's the one result for Everton where you think they really should have done better there I don't know I feel like they've just bought too many players and a lot of them aren't like that good anyway 22 new players it's a squad they bought something like six full backs but I just think it'd be difficult for them to settle in and as I say a lot of them aren't like that proven anyway but someone like Dennis is a good player but he got relegated and then there's like O'Brien a good player from the championship but again from the championship it's not like they've brought in like proven quality and it's just like bought a whole squad but I think if they can get a result it probably would be the end for Rodgers it is mad less that he said himself a couple of weeks ago to a very different football club than it was a couple of seasons ago obviously the money the financial aspect, Covid other stuff have took the toll on them they're not really the same club now in terms of bringing players in and all that they've had a struggle and a start I think they have spent quite a lot of money it seems to go under the radar a bit well everyone focused their attention on Everton at least the worst spending quite a lot on players who haven't seen to have worked out so it catches you off with you doesn't it as it did with Everton as well of course there you go let us know what you think make sure you get over to the 888 sport youtube channel to check out the rest of that chat give it a playlist, give it a like subscribe, give us a thumbs up subscribe if you haven't split thanks to Bill and we'll be back next week see you later