Episode 3386: Madrid Back On Top, Slot’s Doom Spiral

Is Keith Andrews the new Mikel Arteta? Hard to say for sure, as it suddenly seems as though everybody wants to be the new version of the Arsenal coach, whose bulletproof juggernaut continues to bulldoze all comers. But it was another good weekend for Andrews, whose team personify the spirit of 2025.

We also talk about the wildly different interpretation of the sport demonstrated by Real Madrid and Barcelona in Sunday’s Clasico, compared to the weekend’s Premier League games.

Neil Atkinson and Gavin Cooney join us to talk about the weekend’s football. Have Arsenal broken the back of this thing already? What has Gavin learned from interviewing the Irishman working at the heart of one of the world’s leading laboratories of set piece ball? And can either of them identify the reasons for Liverpool FC’s ever-worsening crisis?

Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.

This Saturday evening in London Joseph Parker will step into the ring for a Heavyweight bout with Fabio Wardley. So what better time than today to play out his chat with us from The Gaiety Theatre. pic.twitter.com/uxIs2SdjNG

— Second Captains (@SecondCaptains) October 24, 2025