Ask OTC: The looming Club World Cup, Rafa Benítez's next job, and one of Europe’s hottest strikers

Dotun and Andy are joined by Nicky Bandini to look back on an unhappy return to Wembley for the Azzurri – and a very tricky week for Italian football in general. While there are green shoots for Italy under Luciano Spalletti, the panel also discuss what awaits Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo as an investigation into alleged betting breaches continues apace.Plus, we assess the reality behind Portugal’s incredible qualification campaign and look ahead to Real Madrid’s reunion with an old friend and a stunningly dysfunctional Sevilla side at the weekend!Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

19 Loka 202346min

Dotun, Andy and Lars are back with more of your questions, as attentions turn to international football. We assess whose Euros hopes are dwindling and why Norway are proving less than the sum of their imperious parts.We don’t abandon club football entirely though, as we wonder whether Xabi Alonso can sustain a Leverkusen title charge and why Union Berlin are struggling in comparison to last season’s heroics.Follow us on socials: Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

13 Loka 202319min

Lars is back on the pod! And on the subject of returns, today he joins Dotun and Andy to discuss Romelu Lukaku’s Roma redemption. But can he save José Mourinho from the haters?Elsewhere, Andy thinks Germany’s trip to America could be good for Julian Nagelsmann – and not just because of his love for NFL – and the panel pays tribute to the amazing career of Eden Hazard.Ask us a question for tomorrow's Ask OTC on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

12 Loka 202349min

What’s the future of Real Madrid’s left wing position? Are Inter the best team in the world bar Manchester City? Can Bayern Munich get over failing to sign Joao Palinha? And which Scot has Thiago Motta taken under his wing?Dotun, Andy and Nicky get to the bottom of those questions and much more!Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

6 Loka 202323min

Is it too early to call Jude Bellingham the best player in Europe? Today, Dotun, Andy and Nicky consider that question and - after a dramatic night in the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium - discuss how far Napoli can go in Europe this season.Speaking of which, how far can Newcastle go in the Champions League? The panel evaluate the runners and riders in the group of death. Plus, Galatasaray’s enjoyable trip to hell!Ask us a question for tomorrow's Ask OTC on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

5 Loka 202343min

Our very own Andy Brassell has written another book! Called ‘We Play On’, it’s all about Shakhtar Donetsk’s remarkable modern history – from being cast out of their original home in Donbas in 2014, to being bombed out of Ukraine altogether in 2022.Once flippantly dubbed ‘The Brazilian Colony’ for their history of bringing through Brazilian stars, Shakhtar is now a club for all of Ukraine. They are the country’s shining light on the European stage and a reminder of football’s power to provide hope in the darkest times. Dotun sits down with Andy to ask him more about Shakhtar’s story and his experience of telling it.You can buy a copy of ‘We Play On’ from Hachette here or find it in all good book shops!Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

2 Loka 202333min

How have Girona rocketed to the top of La Liga? Why has Gennaro Gattuso taken the Marseille job? And a listener asks about their trip to St Pauli...Dotun, Andy and David tackle all that and more!Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

29 Syys 202322min

Have you ever seen a player score a hat-trick over the space of four days? Today, Dotun and Andy are joined by David Cartlidge to discuss how unsavoury scenes during Ajax's loss to Feyenoord lead to maybe the world’s slowest hat-trick. They also ask: how do the Dutch giants escape this crisis?Plus, what’s happening with Victor Osimhen? Andy tells us that football clubs need to re-think the way they use social media after the recent treatment of Osimhen by Napoli’s official channels.Ask us a question for tomorrow's Ask OTC on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For 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.

28 Syys 202346min