Libero

Episódios

• 127 | Arsenal Got Close, But How Do They Catch PSG? 01.06.2026 58min

  Arsenal lost the Champions League final on Saturday night but it has still been an undeniably brilliant season and deserved to parade the Premier League trophy around north London in front of millions fans. For the final Libero of the club season, Rory Smith and Miguel Delaney dial in direct from Budapest, before Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson ask how Arsenal can make up the gap to PSG next season if they are to finally become European champions. For the final Libero of the club season, Rory Smith and Miguel Delaney dial in direct from Budapest, before Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson ask how Arsenal can make up the gap to PSG next season. Is it as simple as backing Mikel Arteta with greater attacking options? And with Real Madrid and Manchester City both in transition, who can stop Arsenal and PSG from re-running this final in 12 months time? Finally, What can we expect from Liverpool, now that Arne Slot has gone and Andoni Iraola has been lined up to replace him. P1: (06:04) P2: (29:47) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 126 | Is PSG v Arsenal The Future Of Football? 29.05.2026 58min

  The Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal has a rare quality in this fixture: it pits clearly the two best teams in Europe against each other. Both clubs have had brilliant seasons, each winning their domestic league, adding to an epic feel for the game in Budapest, but the fixture has a sense of freshness, because Arsenal have never won this competition, and PSG won it for the first time last year. On today’s Libero, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson ask why the finalists are only coming as powers in Europe now and whether there is a geographical explanation. With just three European cups between them, all of them in the last 15 years, why have London and Paris traditionally underperformed in this competition? And is that finally starting to change? P1: (02:24) P2: (27:55) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 125 | Arsenal Vanquish Manchester City... The End Of A Premier League Era? 26.05.2026 59min

  The Premier League's final day confirmed Arsenal are champions, West Ham are going down and Sunderland are in the Europa League. But it also felt like one long goodbye: from Pep Guardiola to Mo Salah, via Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Andy Robertson. On today’s Libero, Rory Smith, Jonathan Wilson and our North London correspondent Tariq Panja ask how different the league will look without several of its defining figures, whether their farewells mark the end of a defined era, and what might come next. P1: (03:01) P2: (26:45) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 124 | Manchester City, Pep Guardiola And Football’s Greatest Experiment 22.05.2026 1h 6min

  Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City. It’s an exit that brings to an end one of the most unique experiments in football history, and one that is unlikely to be repeated again. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja discuss Guardiola’s legacy and the very specific set of circumstances that provided the platform for him to produce arguably the most complete winning machines in English football history. Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — P1: (08:45) P2: (30:35) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 123 | Can Unai Emery Break Through The Europa League Glass Ceiling? 19.05.2026 50min

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. —Unai Emery is once again in the Europa League final with a team featuring the letters V-I-L-L-A somewhere in their name, a remarkable achievement and one that also creates a perception that he is not among the top echelon of coaches. The competition with which the Aston Villa manager has become synonymous is also suffering from a degree of reputational damage these days, as its bigger brother hoovers up more of the clubs that used to give the Europa League a unique appeal. James Horncastle, Jonathan Wilson and Miguel Delaney discuss matters of perception and a few other things. — P1: (13:09) P2: (28:11) Produced by: Tom Bassam Do you have a burning question for the Liberi? Send them in to extra-time@liberopodcast.com⁠⁠ to get them answered on the podcast. Anything else, email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Produced by: Tom Bassam Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 122 | The FA Cup Final Should Mean More Than This 15.05.2026 58min

  ICMP has kindly released an extra few tickets for our live show on 22nd May, so we can squeeze a few more of you in. Plans are coming together and it should be a fun night there will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. Doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London. The link for tickets is here 👍 The FA Cup should be English football’s national day. It was English football’s national day, a final punctuation mark on another season, anointing heroes and reducing grown men to tears. Jack Pitt Brooke, Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja discuss how the FA Cup final lost its way and what ingredients are needed to bring back the magic. P1: (10:08) P2: (30:42) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 121 | Is Michael Carrick Manchester United's Best Option? 12.05.2026 58min

  We have a handful of tickets remaining for our live show on 22nd May, there will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. Doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). The link for tickets is here 👍 --- Michael Carrick has made Ruben Amorim's tactics board nightmare at Grimsby seem like a Manchester United of a different universe and restored order at Old Trafford, but is that enough? Rory Smith, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson as they seek the unknowable answer to the question of how a super club selects the right leader. P1: (09:59) P2: (25:22) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 120 | Arsenal v PSG... A Meeting Of Europe's Best? 08.05.2026 55min

  We are doing our first live show. It's on 22nd May, doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). There will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. The link for tickets is here 👍 --- We have spent much of this season wondering, like many others, whether Arsenal were about to bottle it. But after a brilliant week for Mikel Arteta's side, are they now on the brink of a historic achievement? They're in the box seat for the Premier League title and can move one step closer if they beat West Ham on Sunday and in midweek reached their first Champions League final in 20 years. On today’s Libero Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney and John Brewin look at their turnaround and ask what caused it. Was it the fire, Declan Rice’s rousing speech, or simply having players back? Or did they, like Manchester City in 2012, have to lose the title in order to win it? With PSG also reaching the showpiece fixture in Budapest, it looks like being the best final in years, with Europe’s two best teams meeting. Why does that happen so rarely? And what do these two finalists tell us about the modern game? P1: (04:17) P2: (30:31) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 119 | The Cult Of The Manager 05.05.2026 1h

  Join ⁠SC Libero⁠, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: ⁠liberopodcast.com⁠. — From Matt Busby to Liam Rosenior, even harking back from the Wilsonian era of the late 19th century, how has the role and the standing of the football manager changed? Certain football clubs may act as if managers and head coaches are no longer their most important employees but certain managers still overshadow their clubs. Join Rory Smith, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson for the first of a two-parter, the second episode available only to SC Libero's Einsteins, Special Ones and El Puta Jefe later this week. P1: (03:56) P2: (35:40) As you may have seen, we are doing our first live show. It's on 22nd May, doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). There will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. The link for tickets is here. Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 118 | Saudi Arabia: Football's House Of Cards 01.05.2026 59min

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs: liberopodcast.com. — Amid a shifting landscape of Saudi Arabian sports investments, where does football sit in the PIF's list of priorities? Newcastle are at a crossroads in their journey with the House of Saud and the Pro League is no longer handing out cheques for fun. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Tariq Panja discuss the implications if the retrenchment of the Gulf's wealthiest oil state hits football. P1: (01:13) P2: (31:25) — As you may have seen, we are doing our first live show. It's on 22nd May, doors 7pm at The Venue on the ICMP Queens Park Campus in west London (home of the Long Play Sessions). There will also be copies of the various books of the Liberi on sale and they may even sign them for you. The link for tickets is  here. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 117 | Diego Simeone And Atletico Madrid, The Club Moulded In His Image 28.04.2026 1h

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs: liberopodcast.com. — Ahead of Atletico Madrid's Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, we take a look at one of European football's main characters, Diego Simeone. Cholo's impact on a club that were by no means destined to be in their lofty position has been profound, as have his unique and evolving tactics. James Horncastle, Jonathan Wilson and Miguel Delaney, chart Simeone's journey in bending Atleti to his will and ask what the future holds for one of the great modern coaches. P1: (01:31) P2: (32:53) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 116 | Liam Rosenior, Chelsea And A Crisis Of Their Own Making 24.04.2026 57min

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. --- Liam Rosenior is no longer the Chelsea manager, to nobody’s surprise and to many people’s relief, perhaps including Rosenior himself. Can any manager succeed at Stamford Bridge? Or has the club’s strategy under the BlueCo ownership made that near-impossible? Tariq Panja and Miguel Delaney, join John Brewin. P1: (05:58) P2: (38:13) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• 115 | Was Manchester City's Win Against Arsenal Really A Title-Decider? 21.04.2026 59min

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. —Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday was a rare thing: a Premier League game that lived up to its billing, both for the importance of the game and the quality of the football. On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson look back on the afternoon that saw City bring Mikel Arteta’s side into its grasp and ask why the vibes appear to favour Pep Guardiola's team so much more than the objective reality does. For all the fascination with Arsenal’s mental fragility, could their main problems be technical rather than psychological? And over a 38-game season why should this particular game be seen as any other dropped points? Can there ever be a true ‘title decider’ in a full league season. And if not, should the Premier League create one? P1: (10:53) P2: (34:40) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via ⁠getintouch@liberopodcast.com⁠ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⁠@liberopod⁠ Join our Discord ⁠@Libero Podcast⁠ Follow us on X ⁠@podcast_libero⁠ Follow us on Bluesky ⁠@liberopodcast.com⁠ Follow us on Instagram ⁠@liberopod⁠ Follow us on TikTok ⁠@liberopod⁠ Follow us on Facebook ⁠@liberopod⁠ Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 114 | Arne Slot, Liverpool Manager: The Case For And Against 17.04.2026 57min

  Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Liverpool’s exit from the Champions League means they will finish the season trophyless, and the only thing they have left to play for is a fifth-placed finish. Over the course of this season Arne Slot has lost all the credit with the fans he built up by winning last year’s Premier League title. So what should Liverpool do next? On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and John Brewin discuss whether it is fair or not that Slot is facing calls for his dismissal. Especially given all the issues with Liverpool’s recruitment this season. They ask what exactly Liverpool might want in a manager if Slot no longer fits the bill. Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso are the two highest-profile names linked with the job, but would they necessarily be an improvement? And might there be another out-of-work manager who could be perfect for Liverpool? P1: (07:11) P2: (25:53) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 113 | Why Does No One Want Arsenal To Win It? 14.04.2026 1h 1min

  So it all comes down to this. Maybe. After Arsenal lost at home to Bournemouth and Manchester City swatted aside Chelsea, the Premier League has a genuine title decider: Mikel Arteta’s stumbling set-piece merchants against Pep Guardiola’s passing drones at the Etihad on Sunday. On today’s Libero, James Horncastle asks Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith whether the momentum has definitively shifted, if Arsenal are cracking under the pressure, and why it seems like everyone wants the team that always wins the title to win it again. Sign up for SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs via liberopodcast.com. — P1: (03:48) P2: (33:20) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 112 | Cracking The Code Of Premier League Survival 10.04.2026 59min

  SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, is now live! Join via liberopodcast.com. --- This time of year isn’t just about trophies and titles, it’s about trying to stay in the Premier League and this year will be the toughest route to survival in a generation. On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson look at the survival battle, and the question of finding the optimal strategy to stay up. Has the traditional fire-fighter - Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis - been left behind by the modern game? Or do struggling clubs still want the same things, just delivered by a younger man? And when Tottenham have appointed one of the world’s most interesting coaches in Roberto de Zerbi as their fire-fighter, what does that tell us about their own chances of staying up? Also, our friends at the TheS**thouses have figured out how we attribute the quote at the start of every pod, check it out and have a go yourself here. P1: (07:14) P2: (33:41) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 111 | Football Has A Ticket Price Problem 07.04.2026 1h 1min

  SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, is now live! Sign up at liberopodcast.com. --- What’s happened with the tickets for this summer is an absolute scandal but soaring prices is a trend that has an impact way beyond the World Cup. The exploitation of the match-going fan have seen tickets become tradable assets for the market to set the price for, all the while diminishing the value of the experience that is being put in the shop window. Rory Smith, Tariq Panja and Jonathan Wilson try to figure out how this been allowed to happen, as well as the long-term implications for football. P1: (05:42) P2: (35:54) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 110 | Will Infantino And Trump Break The World Cup? 03.04.2026 53min

  SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, is now live! Get on the bandwagon early, before broadsheet journalists start describing us as doing 'interesting things' at liberopodcast.com. --- From peace prizes to golden baubles, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has made it his mission to shower the US president in praise and treasure, while in the process inserting himself into Donald Trump’s inner circle. As Trump directs a bombing campaign on Iran, John Brewin, Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja ask whether Infantino’s personal ambitions risk irreparable harm to the beauty of the World Cup and football itself? P1: (00:28) P2: (33:15) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 109 | Can England Win The World Cup? 30.03.2026 59min

  We are still in the soft launch phase of ⁠SC Libero⁠, but getting on the bandwagon early will give you the chance to lock-in a pay-what-you-want price for an annual subscription until we figure out exactly what perks we give to members. Take advantage of us now at ⁠liberopodcast.com⁠. --- Thomas Tuchel was appointed to the England job with one clear aim: to win the 2026 World Cup. The question on today’s episode, with Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and John Brewin, is whether he is on the right track. Tuchel’s England were immaculate in qualifying but they lack depth, as they showed against Uruguay on Friday, and are as dependent on Harry Kane as ever. So can he do what Gareth Southgate could not? And what are the differences between the approach of the two men? P1: (09:37) P2: (27:51) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Libero 108 | Do National Teams All Play The Same Way Now? 27.03.2026 1h

  Join SC Libero! Our members’ only offering is now live, in a soft way. We're starting you off with ad-free episodes, but a host of other benefits are in what we call 'the pipeline'. Sign up now at liberopodcast.com and you get to pay what you want, because we’re suckers. --- All of football’s great nations used to have their own distinctive styles. Brazil meant Jogo Bonito. Italy meant defensive grit. Germany were ruthlessly efficient, the Netherlands inspirationally artistic, and England stuck it where it belonged: in the mixer. But as football has globalised, have those individual styles started to disappear? In today’s Libero, Jonathan Wilson, James Horncastle and Rory Smith discuss where national football identity came from, what it represented, and whether it has disappeared. P1: (07:23) P2: (35:11) Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices