Football Writers Podcast

Mike Calvin, Seb Stafford Bloor and Glenn Moore share the disquiet about the nature of Newcastle United's takeover, and warn the rebuild will take longer than the majority of fans appear to think. They welcome Claudio Ranieri back to the Premier League with Watford, suggest Leicester will reset their season at Manchester United's expense, and foresee sustained struggle for Norwich, Burnley and Southampton. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Jordan Jarrett Bryan and Darren Lewis assess potential champions as the Premier League takes shape. They praise Brentford and Brighton for their distinctive approaches, appreciate the power of Rafa Benitez's pragmatism, but can see no end to the travails of one of his former clubs, Newcastle United. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Seb Stafford Bloor and Dominic Fifield suggest Solksjaer has until the end of the season to prove himself as Manchester United manager, Seb makes a passionate plea for change at Spurs, Dom expects Chelsea to be tactically tweaked after the international break, and Mike speaks of his despair at the latest, most shocking, example of racial abuse in European football.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and Glenn Moore look ahead to Manchester City's Champions League tie against PSG, sandwiched between pivotal Premier League games against Chelsea and Liverpool, who should prevail in their ties against Juventus and Porto respectively. Manchester United cannot afford defeat against Villareal at Old Trafford, and the success of David Moyes highlights Tottenham's folly in appointing Nuno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Adrian Clarke and Tony Hodson believe Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea will continue their recent domination of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. They focus on the merits of a range of Premier League coaches, including Dean Smith, Thomas Franck, Nuno, Rafa Benitez and Daniel Farke, but disagree with Bayern Munich's Julian Nagelsman's campaign for football to undergo a technological revolution. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Faye Carruthers and John Cross discuss Liverpool's resurgence, and their ability to resist the remorselessness of Chelsea, who face Manchester City in a definitive fixture next weekend. They also dwell on the human side of football, praising Manchester United's Phil Jones for his candour, and Brighton for their concentration on the wellbeing of their players, Due tribute is also paid to the humanity of a timeless hero, Jimmy Greaves. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Anne Marie Batson and Richard Amofa assess Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's future at Manchester United in the light of the latest criticism of his approach. They sense similar issues with Mikel Arteta,praise the tactical acumen of Thomas Tuchel, and would love to see Robert Lewandowski at Liverpool. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and Jordan Jarrett Bryan assess the contenders in this season's Champions League.: They acknowledge the threat represented by Bayern Munich and PSG, but forecast an English winner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Dominic Fifield and Seb Stafford Bloor look beyond the pomp and ceremony of Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford, and ask whether he can give United the title they crave. They expect a messy compromise in the stand off about FIFA's intention to ban Brazilian players this weekend, but believe more conflict is inevitable. Big tests await Spurs, Leicester and Leeds. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Paul Hayward and Glenn Moore insist that a rapidly-maturing England team is among the favorites to win the World Cup in Qatar next year. They question Arsene Wenger's support of FIFA's plans to have finals every two years, and, after a chaotic weekend, understand the opposition of leading clubs to the release of players to South American nations. They also condemn the FA for charging Middlesbrough's Marc Bola for social media posts, made when he was 14. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Seb Stafford Bloor and Adrian Clarke praise Chelsea, Leicester, Brighton and West Ham for their transfer activity. The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Ole Gunnar Solksjaer without excuses, and Liverpool can ill-afford to lose Sporting Director Michael Edwards. Newcastle will pay a heavy price for their stagnation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recorded before news of Manchester United's attempt to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo emerged, Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and Art de Roche considered what he would bring to the Premier League : goals, stardust but perhaps not titles. They assessed the Champions League draw, made sense of Kylian Mbappe moving to Real Madrid, and called time on the League Cup See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, John Cross and Darren Lewis discuss Harry Kane's future, and whether player power is a myth or reality. They hail Romelu Lukaku as a transformative signing, recognise Harvey Elliott's potential for club and country, and call for football to respond urgently to the dementia crisis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Anne Marie Batson and Glenn Moore consider Paul Pogba's impact in what seems likely to be his final season at Manchester United. They praise Academy products like Japhet Tanganga and Trevoh Chalobah, dwell on great starts for Brentford and Watford, but fear for managers like Mikel Arteta and Steve Bruce.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Premier League season kicks off on BT Sport on Saturday lunchtime, when Manchester United host Leeds United. Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and Seb Stafford Bloor look forward to the latest instalment of a great tribal rivalry.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and Seb Stafford Bloor all expect Chelsea to win the Premier League title, at the expense of Manchester City. They unveil their predictions for the top six, and bottom three.Each believes at least one of the promoted teams will survive.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Dominic Fifield and Adrian Clarke expect the unexpected in the aftermath of Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona. They feel Jack Grealish will take time to fit in at City, believe Romelu Lukaku will add momentum to Chelsea's push for the Premier League title, and insist United have a fundamental decision to make on Paul Pogba.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Glenn Moore and Ade Oladipo believe Gareth Southgate's squad has the youth and depth of talent to be one of the favourites at Qatar 2022, alongside Italy, France and Argentina. They also dwell on disgraceful scenes at Wembley, and condemn the racial abuse endured by Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Jordan Jarrett Bryan and Dominic Fifield believe England are destined to win their first major tournament since 1966. But Sunday's final is not about ending 55 years of hurt. It is set to be a celebration of the now, and the new. Gareth Southgate's squad will seize their chance to set the nation's mood.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Calvin, Miguel Delaney and David Preece take England to reach the final at Denmark's expense on Wednesday evening. Gareth Southgate's team feels different from previous incarnations, as do Italy, their probable opponents in the European Championship final.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.