Summary: Back in the saddle for yet another supershow with Phil and Anto talking about the many bizarre developments that have emerged during an all important international break, which include, among others, a Premier League with no clear favorite, Jack Wilshere touching off a naturalization storm, the failure of young British players to assert themselves at a critical juncture and then always complex politics surrounding UEFA, FIFA and its leaders. We examine the state of the Premier League itself having swapped one star player in Gareth Bale for another in Mezut Ozil, the unexpected leaders at the top of the table in Arsenal and Liverpool and whether this success can be sustained and then there is always the case of the English FA being held accountable yet again for a crop of English player which is not considered near the top of international standard and how academies and grass roots failures continue to spell trouble in England. We also consider the impact of some failures by UEFA to police its members who have attempted financial doping, the ongoing tragedy that is going on with Asian workers in Qatar and how the politics and message discipline has been smart to factor the move to a Winter World Cup as a temporary distraction, knowing that this was never going to be the case given how television does its business. Some very interesting observations in youth development from the United States are featured from firsthand experience and we examine not only the failure to enforce Financial Fair Play but also hand out two strunz awards from a Juventus-Milan match where two defenders once again call attention to themselves for all the wrong reasons.
