On The Continent - A European Football Podcast

After failing to return to training, Romelu Lukaku's future at Napoli hangs in the balance. It seems unbelievable given his relationship with Antonio Conte, but is Lukaku's absence reflective of his time in Naples?Nicky Bandini stands first in line to answer that as she joins Dotun and Andy to answer more of your questions! Could Nico Schlotterbeck be on the move? How has Ashley Cole performed at Cesena? And if you had to watch just one country’s football forever, which would it be?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yet another disastrous qualification campaign has ended with Italy failing to reach the World Cup for the third successive time. First under Gian Piero Ventura in 2017, then in 2022 with Roberto Mancini, and now in 2026 under the management of Gennaro Gattuso.Nicky Bandini joins Dotun and Andy to express her disappointment, but it's not all doom and gloom! There was euphoria for Sweden, Türkiye, and the Czech Republic as they all qualified to play in North America. And finally, back in club football, Bayern Munich's Harry Kane is out with an injury sustained while on international duty. Can they compete without their star man up top?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The news of Mohamed Salah's Liverpool exit reverberated across the football world. Some have linked him to the Saudi Pro League, others to MLS - but would staying in Europe actually be his best move? And if so, where should he go next?Nicky Bandini joins Andy and Dotun to tackle more of your questions. Were Ligue 1 right to accommodate PSG's Champions League schedule? Could Jürgen Klopp return to coaching? And what are Austria's chances at the World Cup?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Italy, we send you one simple message ahead of your World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland tonight. Please, all you have to do is not screw it up. But will it really be as straight forward as it should - emphasis on SHOULD - be for a nation that hasn't been at the world's biggest tournament since 2014?Nicky Bandini joins Dotun and Andy to share her anxiety. Plus, after La Liga's most drawn out transfer story of all time, Antoine Griezmann is finally set to leave Atlético Madrid for Orlando City in the summer! How will he be remembered at the Metropolitano? And Endrick, now at Lyon, is back in the Brazil squad. But please, let's not make the obvious Pelé comparisons... or maybe we just can't help ourselves!Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was a time when De Klassieker represented the very best that Dutch football had to offer. Long gone are the days of Frenkie de Jong, Wesley Sneijder, Dirk Kuyt and of course the countless Netherlands legends who passed through Feyenoord and Ajax in the 20th century. What we're left with are two sides nowhere near the standard of title contenders.Andy is joined by Dutch journalist Kalum van Oudheusden - who was at the game - to dissect all the biggest talking points. Is time running out for Robin van Persie? What has happened to Ajax's legendary youth academy? And is Raheem Sterling living up to the lofty expectations placed on him?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dotun, Andy and Miguel Delaney are here to answer more of your questions after another wonderfully chaotic week of European football. They start with another disappointing exit for Galatasaray and ask what can be done to improve their fortunes on future European adventures. Plus: exciting times at Málaga, the transfer futures of Enzo Fernández and Troy Parrott, and Joan Laporta’s return to Barcelona!Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wheat has truly been separated from the chaff in the Champions League. Atlético Madrid face Barcelona in an all-Spanish quarter-final - will Diego Simeone finally break their European duck?Miguel Delaney joins Dotun and Andy for a blockbuster Champions League show. Can Real Madrid find a way past the indomitable Bayern Munich? Plus, why are Sporting flying under everyone’s radar?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five goals, a Raphinha hat-trick, Gavi returning to action, and still resting some legs: Barcelona couldn't have asked for a better prelude to their Champions League second leg against Newcastle.Andy and David discuss their 5-2 victory over Sevilla in a game that – once more – put the importance of Raphinha to this team in block capitals. More surprising was the return of vintage João Cancelo. Did this game show why Barcelona must try to sign him permanently? We also take a closer look at Sevilla's woes and discuss how Barcelona might try and neutralise – or avoid – Newcastle's physicality on Wednesday night.Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a long time, Federico Valverde was used in a deep role for Real Madrid. But after scoring a blockbuster hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, has he been playing in the wrong position all along? Could he become a mainstay in Real's attack?Andy and Dotun are joined by Lars Sivertsen to decipher that. Also, what will Julian Brandt's legacy be at Borussia Dortmund? Are OGC Nice Ligue 1's answer to Tottenham Hotspur? And why are Lazio facing an off-field crisis?Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French media were insistent that Paris Saint-Germain came into their game against Chelsea as underdogs. Well, they certainly proved those critics wrong. A display of incredible resilience has put the Parisians firmly in the driving seat ahead of their return leg at Stamford Bridge. Somehow, are the defending champions the dark horse to win it all?Lars Sivertsen joins Dotun and Andy to heap praise on Luis Enrique's side. Plus, a demolition job from the unstoppable force that is Bayern Munich and Bodø/Glimt shock the world... again.Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We thought the door was shut, but have Milan blown the Serie A title race wide open again? Victory for the red side of Milan against their city rivals has certainly given Inter something to think about. Only seven points are in it with ten games to play. Can Max Allegri's side do the unthinkable and challenge Inter for the Scudetto?Nicky Bandini joins Andy to dissect a game which may well have huge consequences for who is crowned champions of Italy come the end of the season.Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At Real Madrid, losing isn’t acceptable. Drawing isn’t acceptable. Conceding can feel like failure. Álvaro Arbeloa has done the unthinkable: two defeats in a row - first to Osasuna, then to Getafe at the Bernabéu. So, how tenuous is the Spaniard's position?Dotun and Andy are joined by David Cartlidge to answer that. Also, could Oliver Glasner replace Jürgen Klopp at Red Bull? Why did Flamengo sack Filipe Luís after he won the double? And we reveal the real reason that so many Scandinavian players are heading to the Primeira Liga.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected] up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In typical Atlético Madrid style, Diego Simeone's side have dragged themselves into the Copa del Rey final kicking and screaming. Only this Atleti team could turn a 4-0 lead from the first leg into a nerve-wracking finish. But their fans won't care!David Cartlidge joins Dotun and Andy to discuss what that result means for both Atleti and Barça. Plus, Bayer Leverkusen get a much-needed win to keep them in the fight for the Champions League places, and Marseille have the most Marseille week after two vastly different results at the Vélodrome.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected] up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's no 'good time' to play Bayern Munich, but in the form they've been in this season, any Bundesliga side would rightly head into that game expecting a thrashing. Borussia Dortmund gave them a right good go! Ultimately though, there simply is no stopping the juggernaut that Vincent Kompany has assembled.Archie Rhind-Tutt was at Signal Iduna Park and joined Andy Brassell to dissect a thriller in North Rhine-Westphalia.Ask us a question on X, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's no exaggeration to say that this season has been calamitous for Italian football. Almost every Serie A team is out of the Champions League, the national team faces a World Cup playoff, and the stadia are decaying. So how did it all go wrong, and more importantly, how can things be put right?David Cartlidge joins Andy and Dotun to answer that. Also, the guys discuss Real Madrid's historic associations with the far-right, Barcelona’s presidency, and the chances of Paris FC avoiding a relegation scrap.Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: [email protected] ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.