Italy Out Again, Turkey’s Threat, and Global Qualifying Unpacked, presented by Christopher Ward: 04/01/26
Italy World Cup qualification
For the third World Cup in a row, four-time champions Italy will somehow not be part of proceedings. They were sadder than the Tracy Chapman song last night, self-immolating on penalties in Bosnia.
USMNT form
The United States' pot one team and Mauricio Pochettino's United States have just been utterly outclassed by Belgium. Really, Portugal cantered by us last night.
Roberto De Zerbi to Tottenham
De Zerbi is explosive, he is volatile, he probably won't see out five years of his contract, he never has before, but he plays wonderful football. It's a bold, ambitious, interesting appointment.
Tottenham relegation battle
De Zerbi has to get results basically straight away. The question is really, is De Zerbi too much of an ideologue to do that? And the answer might well determine whether Tottenham get relegated or not.
Italy national team decline
The Italian youth system is broken down to such an extent they just can't find them. They are still Italy, they're still a superpower, but they don't have a sort of divine right to be a major football power. You have to work at it.
Iraq World Cup qualification
It's really hard not to be kind of uplifted by the fact that Iraq have made it, 40 years on. It raises a really important question which is what is nationhood, what is identity, when are you from a place?
England national team tactics
I don't think we know anything about what Thomas Tuchel's England is meant to look like. That's a weird position to deliberately choose. That is just a strange policy to me.
Turkey World Cup prospects
I think Turkey are really good. They are maybe not semi-final good, but they are very much eyeing a run deep into the knockouts. They have a really deep pool of talent, some of it Turkish, some of it German-Turkish drawn from the diaspora.
England squad selection
As much as it's only a very slender chance that Max Dowman goes to the World Cup, I think it's not a zero chance.
Sweden World Cup qualification
Sweden have got in on a technicality which is winning their Nations League group. It feels a little bit to me like they shouldn't really be there. It feels like they've got in because of paperwork.
