On today’s Libero, Jonathan Wilson, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Miguel Delaney start by looking forward to Saturday’s FA Cup final. Everyone knows that the final is no longer the climax of the English football season, but the big question is why? They look at the rising prominence of the league in the 1980s, the advent of the Premier League in 1992 and Manchester United’s decision to pull out in 2000.

The following Saturday at Wembley is the Championship play-off final between Sunderland and Sheffield United. (32:20) Jonathan talks about his personal connection to this game, and the realities of supporting a team with little chance in the top flight. Jack asks whether this really is such a big game any more, given the struggles of promoted teams to make an impact in the Premier League. Is there any hope beyond just become a yo-yo club, or in Jonathan’s phrase, a ‘mezzanine club’?

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was nowhere else to start than San Siro after the Champions League semi-final between Inter and Barcelona. Was it the best of all? Why are semis over two legs usually miles more entertaining than finals? Jonathan Wilson, Miguel Delaney and John Brewin share their memories, and hail gambling man Hansi Flick as football’s greatest ringmaster.

After that (16:55): a missive from Mexico triggers a conversation on the cult of the football hipster. Is that era over? Or did books like Wilson’s 'Inverting the Pyramid' trigger an enduring legacy of earnest investigation into Sparta Rotterdam’s use of Wiel Coerver’s methods and the like? We lounge on Athletic Club cushions to consider the fashion(!), the music and the writing a wider perspective on what football has added to modern culture.

Produced by: Tom Bassam

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With the Europa League final looking likely to be an all-English affair, Jack Pitt-Brook, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja discuss why - given the Premier League's clear financial advantages - Europe's secondary competition has never really been a priority for the clubs of the 'Best League in the World™'.

In part two (42:02), talk turns to Lamine Yamal and whether playing a starring role for Barcelona, or any club in a foreign land, will allow him to reach the levels of fame that his talent deserves. Is it true that Anglophone-centric media struggles to acknowledge talent from overseas?

Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email in at liberopodcast0@gmail.com

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In the interest of debunking beauty, the first part of the latest episode of Libero starts with Jonathan Wilson, Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja discussing why Barcelona's thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan should never have happened, largely due to the Catalan club's dire financial circumstances and the problems caused by its presidential model, while also trying to identify what ideal football club ownership looks like.

The second half (38:16) focuses on the role of the modern Europa League, the ideal composition of of the competition's latter stages and the puzzle of finding a satisfactory host city for the final.

Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email in at liberopodcast0@gmail.com.

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Today’s episode starts with a look to the Arctic circle, where Bodø/Glimt have become one of the best stories in European football this decade. The small club from northern Norway have won four of the last five league titles and face Tottenham in the Europa League semi-final this week. So how did they do it, and what can the rest of Europe learn from their success?

Then conversation moves on to Anfield (29:34), where Rory watched Liverpool seal the Premier League title on Sunday. He explains why it meant so much to him, how Liverpool have done it, and whether this is the most successful title of the FSG era.

Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email in at liberopodcast0@gmail.com.

You can read Rory's 2020 feature on Bodø/Glimt via the New York Times' archive here.

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On today’s episode, Rory Smith, John Brewin and Jack Pitt-Brooke start off with a look at Paris Saint-Germain, who, for the first time, might well be the best team to watch in Europe. Have they finally moved on from their era of stars? Is a new focus on French talent a sign that they are finally putting football first? Or is it yet another cynical marketing ploy?

Then discussion moves on to another team who play in red and blue: Crystal Palace. They are also from an area that produces plenty of good footballers, many of whom have made it into the Palace team. So is their local authenticity something to protect in the homogenous Premier League of 2025?

Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email in at liberopodcast0@gmail.com.

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What is it about the early 2000s that football finds so fascinating? Why is the game still so captivated by the career paths and podcast empires of the principal characters from an era that is now a generation past? On today’s Libero, Rory Smith, Tariq Panja and Jonathan Wilson try to answer that question, and also work out whether Pep Guardiola has the power to stop time.

Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email in at liberopodcast0@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.