I don't think I've enjoyed a game that much since Jonathan Woodgate won Spurs the league cup in 2008.

In this episode I go through:

• the goals

• some technical actions

• what it means for Messi

• France in 2026 and beyond

I also wrap up the series, and look ahead to January and some of the coaching opportunities on my horizon.

Big thanks for following along this series, and I'll catch up with you in the new year!

Drew and I look back on the France game, and consider where England might have looked to win the game. We also reflect on some of the individual performances in the game, and discuss how chances were created.

We then look back at our week of coaching, and review the session we delivered around keeping possession close to the opposition's penalty area. We look at our roles within our sessions, and touch on ways we can continue to work together effectively.

We've had a chance to see all the teams, and unfortunately some have gone home before they'd even had a chance to show us more than one kit. For my money, the major battle every tournament is Nike v Adidas. This world cup is no different.

This episode I crown the champion of this year's slate of kits, as well as looking ahead to England v Senegal, and how and where I think England will win the game.

Enjoy!

This week, I completed the National Goalkeeper Course, a new coaching course that the FA have rolled out to replace the old Level 1 in Coaching Goalkeepers, and Goalkeeper UEFA C License.

In the first part of this episode I review the course, outline how I will be implementing the learning into my coaching, and consider the potential ramifications for the coaching pathway being changed.

In part 2, I go through France's 2-1 win over Denmark and look at where they're having success in the tournament so far. I contrast this with Germany's opening game against Japan, and look ahead to their clash with Spain which kicks off at 7pm this evening.

Happy Sunday, everyone, and enjoy the episode!

In part 1, I lay out how I'd like England to set up, as well as how I think they will. I go through the groups, and fill in my tournament bracket with some predictions for how I think things are going to pan out.

In part 2, Mikey Franklin comes on to talk about how we got to the point of Qatar being able to host a tournament, how we should have seen the warning signs from FIFA long ago, and how we as football fans can engage with a 'morally bankrupt' tournament and organisation.

With some players meeting, and even exceeding, expectations for their clubs, Hayden and I have a go at picking an 18 player match-day squad based on individual performances this season.

Parameters were:

• max. 3 players per club (failed to stick to that)

• we're playing 4-3-3 (Arsenal are top, and that's how they play)

Some no brainers, some players who deserved it perhaps based on our expectations of them, and a couple who we just both really like.

Enjoy!

How long should we wait til we have a coffee in the morning?

What can I do to sleep better?

I've been into these topics for a while, and thought I could distil and share some of the things that have helped me get the most out of caffeine, whilst making sure I get good sleep and routine.

I love a coffee as much as the next person, so we also have a look at how to make sure you're consuming it at a time of day that allows your body to produce the chemicals it needs to, and lets you fall asleep when you want to.

The stuff I talk about has been informed by some pretty smart people, as well as through some trial and error for myself. Useful links:

Study on when you should drink coffee

Matthew Walker: Caffeine

Stephanie Romiszewski + Steven Bartlett

I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering whether that was England's best chance to win a World Cup, but did we even nearly win it? What about the other teams that we won't remember given France became champions?

Enter Aidan Williams, and the Eternal Allure of the Greatest Teams that Failed to Win the World Cup. Most tournaments have a team that we remember for different reasons, and in this episode we explore who those teams are, and why Aidan remembers them.

Make yourself a decafe, or a herbal tea, and enjoy a discussion on the things that make us fall in love with football, and remember some of the players and teams who have legacies beyond winning.

Jon Driscoll is a commentator, and an author, and has written a book exploring these ideas. Get it Kicked is his journey back into the era of WM, and 442, all the way through to 'post-formation' football. His conversations with academy coaches across the country, as well as ex-pros, set up a brilliant read for anyone who finds themselves thinking about styles of football.

Jon, thank you so much for coming on the pod. It was great to meet you, and hear about how you put the book together, as well as discussing the ideas in it.

Get it Kicked is available to buy here.

Some of the clubs are more familiar than others, and the writing encourages you to think about the kind of football fan you are, the kind of environments you want to be in, and how to navigate some of the gaps between the values that a club purports to have, and what they do.

The Roaring Red Front is available to buy here. Enjoy the episode!

I've been away for my birthday in Barcelona this week, so today it's one from the archives.

Luke Johnson is the founder of The Personal Trainer Collective, who provide some of the most thorough and in depth training for PTs and coaches around the world.

The PTC helped me qualify in 2020, and I've gone on to study coaching bodybuilders and powerlifters with them since, as well as making my way through the PT Core course, which covers everything from marketing and sales, to coaching techniques and methodologies.

Luke, I look forward to having you back on in the future, especially now I've got a decent microphone.

Season three kicks off with Callum Murray, who has written a book about the hotbeds of England's football talent. We focus predominantly on south London given my connection to Crystal Palace, and get into some of the ways that clubs could replicate what's going on south of the river.

As we head into Christmas, and the period of the year most centred around good food, we chat about her return to training in the gym after having a baby, getting interested in cooking and vegan food, and reflect on how social media has allowed her to do what she does.

Rachel's latest book, One Pot Three Ways, is out now and available to buy here.

Then, George Starkey-Midha returns to the pod to discuss how we as fans can push back against Newcastle being owned by Saudi Arabia's PFI in our day-to-day fandom, and touch on the latest from the FSA. We then get into what Spurs fans can expect from Conte as our manager, and consider just how good Reece James could be.

I chatted to Franzi Harsch (a central midfielder), and Judith Steinert (a full back) about their journeys in to the Hoffenheim first team, the differences between ganmes domestically and in Europe, and whether Tobin Heath is nice in person.

Big thanks to our German football correspondent Jack Lancaster for setting this one up.

I explain why I have had a little break from uploading at the start of this episode, before breaking down Spurs 2 Leeds 1 with Emma.

Episodes will be coming more regularly from now on, so make sure you're following the feed on Spotify.

Disclaimer: new kits have been released since we recorded.

Note: it's worth having this page open while you listen, as it's what we used when we went through the Premier League kits.

Ahead of the game, I get into some things to look out for based on the semi final performances from both teams, before Coach Ali comes on to share some stories from her time working at the Wembley matches.

It's coming home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the semi against Denmark, and cannot wait for Sunday,

This is a slightly different episode where I break down a few bits from the game, and you hear from a few people I watched it with. Insights from Flora, Liz, Lottie, Emma, and premium content from the one and only Lucy Rolington.

Coach Ali and I are going to preview the final, and that episode will be up on Sunday morning.

Kane looks like he fancies playing, Shaw and Sterling were outstanding down the left, and England are scoring from set pieces like it's 2018.

Flo Lloyd-Hughes is on the pod to look back at the game, and run through the performances of the England players so far this tournament.

I managed to sit down with Berlin-based, German football correspondent Jack Lancaster, to look ahead to the game, and consider how it might go. We discuss Gnabry on the West Brom bench, Saka's breakout performance, and consider how much of an affect Kimmich might have on the outcome of the game.

We discuss the affect of lockdowns on comedy, getting back into gigs, and where next for Crystal Palace after Hodgson.

Josh comes back on to look back at things that stood out from the game as an England fan, as well as a coach and analyst, before thinking about where England can take advantage of their better players against Scotland.

We also get into throw ins, why Josh was so impressed with Italy, and our favourite players to watch.

I didn't plan to do this, but the first nine minutes are my reflections on Christian Eriksen, so if you're not interested in those, feel free to jump ahead.

Yasar Latif, founder of The Coaches Network, comes on to look at where France won the game, how Germany will get on later in the tournament, and have a look at the other groups as the first round of fixtures comes to a close.

We also go through the tournament schedule, and highlight some recommendations for some games and players to look out for, and propose that England are best off finishing third in the group to secure as straightforward a path as possible to our semi-final exit.

Clapton CFC captain and goalkeeper coach comes on to look back at the season, and takes me through the ways that Leeds were disrespected in the coverage of them. We also look ahead to the Euros and the involvement of their players, and discuss a few stories that Leeds are in the news for.

In this episode we discuss his chapter in the book, look at how identity and politics are such a big part of football, and reflect on how - according to James - Green Street Hooligans is "one of the most culturally significant British film exports of the 21st century."

The book looks at Scotland's run up the 2019 World Cup in France, and contextualises their qualification as part of the development of women's football in Scotland.

We discuss how the opportunity to write the book came about, reflect on why 15 minutes against Argentina shouldn't define the 2019 campaign, and make the case for Scottish representation in the Team GB Olympic squad this summer.

Arrival is available to buy from Pitch Publishing.

Lauren is a Chelsea fan who has played for Goal Diggers for years, and at the start of the year reinvented herself as a left-wing back, which feels extremely appropriate given how good Chelsea have been playing a back three since Tuchel's arrival.

We talk about the final against City, go through some great individual performances, and put together a team of the year from the men's team and women's team.

We discuss his first career as a ball boy for Watford, share memories of watching matches in person, and go through some my favourite stories in the book.

The book is available from Pitch Publishing.

We start with why she feels sorry for City at the moment, assess whether this season was a success or not for the club, and have a go at picking a team of the year for the club.

Special guest appearances from Christen Press and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

George now works as a Media Officer, and writes for When Saturday Comes. His piece Plan Sight, looks at the release of the Sheldon Report and what the FA need to do to prevent child sex abuse from happening again.

https://shop.wsc.co.uk/wsc-409

Artwork for this episode is from Hayley Bennett, co-founder of Nutmegs.

We chat about having expectations for our clubs, reminiscing about times when you could bank on our teams beating inferior sides without worrying, and consider what next for north London's "elite" sides.

Reflections on the game with BBC Sport's Flo Pollock as we discuss where Chelsea could have been better, heap some well deserved praise on Barcelona, and consider where next for Emma Hayes and the club over the next few months and years.

In this episode, we discuss the developments in the mainstream coverage of women's football, reflect on England's current group of players and their chances going into the Euros, and salute Fara Williams on a phenomenal career.

We discuss his background in coaching, developing an understanding of what is important in practice design, and the importance of coaching in an environment that is right for you.

We discuss moving country during a pandemic, the similarities between football and handball as a goalkeeper, and why she celebrates every goal in the way that she does.

I've learnt a lot from him in terms exercise selection, and the importance of unilateral training for football.

We discuss the role of an S&C coach, the importance training specificity, and how personal trainers were forced to adapt when gyms closed.

We discuss some of the challenges that girls face when getting into football, reflect on some of her experiences as a player, and highlight the value of being versatile.

Caspar Rupert Wood has worked with a number of the clubs involved in the plans for the ESL, and is a long suffering Spurs fan.

Jessy is a football writer, predominantly covering the WSL and the Premier League, as well as a fairly content Chelsea fan, and active on Twitter.

You can read Jessy's work on their website, and listen to their podcast Box to Box WSL here.

We discuss the Premier League's evolution, building relationships with players, and how to coach your friends.

We discuss turning professional as the Spurs #1, preparing for games in the Championship, and how she uses her playing experience to plan her sessions.

He also runs a book club which aims to educate using books as the base, extracting key information through conversation.

@_KarlBeckford

@bookclubunplugged

@football_flo

Jack coaches goalkeepers 1-1, so get in touch with him on Twitter or Instagram if you’re a keeper who wants someone to put you through your paces.