BestBettingSites.com’s Exclusive Interview With Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs is a former professional footballer. He played in the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Sunderland and Derby County and in Scotland with Celtic. Here, our team from the best betting sites sits down with him to ask him questions about the Premier League, Everton, Celtic, and his opinion on former teammates.
Alan Stubbs takes a training session – © Wikipedia
Questions on the Premier League
Who would you consider the best three centre backs in the Premier League and why?
When picking the best centre backs in the Premier League, the first one has to be Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
Virgil is a Rolls Royce of a centre back. He ticks all the boxes in everything that you want from a modern-day centre back. He’s quick, he’s strong. He reads the game well, he’s very comfortable on the ball, and he’s a leader.
I don’t see a huge amount of leaders in the game right now, and I think Virgil is certainly up there with the most authoritative players in the Premier League in terms of leadership skills. You see that from the way he holds himself on the pitch. He’s always dictating, he’s always pointing. He’s always getting players switched on. He plays with a confidence and gravitas that world-class players have, and he’s earned that respect over the years from his fellow professionals.
He’s the type of defender that lives rent free in the mind of a striker before the whistle even blows because of his amazing ability. He’s a centre back with fantastic qualities.
After Virgil, it would have to be William Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal. They have formed the best centre back pairing in the league and they love keeping clean sheets. They’re the backbone of Arsenal’s team and are one of the reasons why I’ve tipped them to win the title this season.
Are you expecting a three-way fight for the title this season between Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool?
I am expecting a three-way title race this season. Manchester City are going to be up there challenging, there’s no doubt about that. They’ve got the players and the manger to stay focussed on what they need to do on the pitch, irrespective of what’s going on off it. They’re tried and tested. They’ve got so many good players, but I do think Arsenal and Liverpool are going to really push them this year.
With Liverpool, they’ve obviously started the season brilliantly and are sat at the top of the table, but after the international break, things are going to get trickier for them in terms of the teams that they’re playing. They’re going to be tested over the coming weeks, and I think this next period, the next couple of months, will tell us if they can really go on and win the title this season.
My one concern with Liverpool would be depth. Have they got enough in the squad to compete in the Premier League and in the Champions League? If they lose a few key players, I would be worried about them. I’m not sure they can rotate as freely as Manchester City and Arsenal can.
As for Arsenal, they were the team that I tipped to win the title at the beginning of the season and I’m going to keep backing them. They have got close over the last couple of years and I think this could be the year that my old teammate Mikel Arteta takes Arsenal to the summit of English football.
Who are you putting in your top four?
I’ve been impressed with Chelsea’s start to the season. Not a lot of people have been talking about them in terms of having a good season and being successful, most of the stories about the club have been negative and focus on the money they have spent and the size of the squad.
They’ve assembled a good squad of players at Stamford Bridge and look dangerous when everything clicks. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their start to the season.
I think Aston Villa could be dark horses in terms of that fourth position. I know that they finished up there last season, but I think most people expected them to struggle coming to terms with competing in the Premier League and in the Champions League this season. Unai Emery has done an unbelievable job at Aston Villa in such a short space of time, and I think he will have his team there or thereabouts despite the increased workload and the demands that come with that.
Then you have Tottenham. I think Tottenham can challenge the best teams in the league on their day, but they need to work on their consistency. If they can find that, then they will have a great chance of finishing in the top four.
You saw Wayne Rooney explode onto the scene as a youngster. Is there a young player in the Premier League that you would tip to turn into a superstar in the mould of Rooney?
When I look at the youngsters in the Premier League, I can’t see a single player that is capable of exploding into English football like Wayne Rooney did. That’s not to say that there aren’t any very talented youngsters in the league, it’s just that Wayne’s talent was something that comes along very, very rarely.
Rooney set the benchmark so high, and he achieved so much at such a young age. It’s impossible for most young players to get anywhere near Rooney’s level – he was a once-in-a-generation talent.
I don’t see anybody that’s going to come on the scene the way Wayne did. Wayne’s introduction, with that goal against Arsenal, was like Wayne saying, ‘Here I am.’ That was Wayne, that was what he was like. It was like,’ I’m here and I’m going to get you off your seats,’ and he certainly did that.
I’m privileged to have played with him and known him. He was a special, special player.
Who do you think is the most overrated player in the Premier League?
It’s hard not to look past some of the signings that Chelsea have made over the last couple of seasons when you think of overrated players.
I think the most overrated or the biggest disappointment in terms of not living up to the hype, has to be Mykhailo Mudryk. They snatched the player from under the noses of Arsenal, and his capture was presented as a real coup, a statement. He just hasn’t looked anywhere near the player that we all hoped he could be in his time at the club.
When I watched him playing in the Champions League for Shakhtar Donetsk, I thought that he looked like a world-beater. I was really excited to see what he was going to bring to the Premier League, but it hasn’t happened for him. He has just flattered to deceive.
Failing him, I think serious questions also need to be asked about Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. They’re both good players, but have they performed anywhere near the level that you expect from midfielders that cost over £100m? I don’t think they’ve made the impact that you’d be looking for from them for such a significant investment.
They’re both top players, we’ve seen them do it before, but I haven’t watched them play for Chelsea and seen them dominate. That’s what you expect from players with those kind of price tags.
Which player or players have really caught your eye so far this season?
The one player that has really caught my eye this season is Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran. If you think about players that make an impact when they’re on the pitch, then Duran has to be up there. He didn’t score against Manchester United, but his record from the bench this season has been sensational.
Unfortunately, one of those goals was against Everton a couple of weeks ago! He’s been nothing short of sensational and his goals have mirrored that as well.
He’s got everyone talking. There were a lot of rumours about him leaving the club in the summer – I think Villa will be pleased that they decided to keep him after the form he has shown so far.
Questions on Everton
After a rocky start to the season, Everton have picked up four points from their last two points. Have the recent performances eased any concerns that you may have had about relegation?
Recent performances from Everton have definitely eased relegation concerns. Despite the results, the losses when in front, I think most Evertonians were confident that they would be alright because, when you look at the squad, Everton have a much stronger squad than last season.
That gave me confidence that Everton weren’t going to be in the same predicament as they were in last season. The performances this season have been positive in terms of getting at teams and having a go, whereas last season, there were some really drab and dire performances that weren’t good to watch. There were too many games where we didn’t have any shots on target and didn’t really threaten the opposition. In those games, you’re surviving. You’re hanging onto things and you’re scraping results.
This season, especially with the addition of Iliman Ndiaye, Everton have certainly looked to get at teams and they’re scoring more goals. They’re creating chances.
The Bournemouth game, which is obviously the one that everyone will speak about, for 75 minutes, Everton played as well as I’ve seen them play in the last five years. In the 10 minutes they lost the game, I’m looking around in disbelief because they went from absolutely cruising to losing the plot and looking all over the place.
Did Sean Dyche save his job in the last two games?
First off, Dyche has had to lead Everton through a difficult time, not just on the pitch but off it, so he has to take credit for that.
The last few games for Sean Dyche have been critical. I’ve said this month was a huge month for Sean Dyche in terms of Everton sticking with him or not. They’ve won last week against Crystal Palace and drawn against Newcastle. They’ve secured four points that were absolutely vital for his job prospects, and I think those results potentially saved him.
In the worst-case scenario, if Dyche didn’t win against Crystal Palace, I really think Everton were going to have to make a huge call. The issue at the club has been that when it comes to leadership, nobody knows who would have been able to make a decision like sacking Dyche at the moment.
It’s been a tricky start to the season for Dyche and the football club, but he’s managed to come through it. Everything looks a lot brighter going into this international break than it did going into the last one. That makes things easier at the football club. They can have quite an optimistic and positive period now before they play Ipswich away.
A cloud has lifted over the club with the Friedkin Group coming in. What do Everton need from their new owners? Stability? Financial backing?
We’re all waiting for the Premier League to give the takeover the green light, but everything seems positive and hopefully the club can move forward with a sense of optimism when the deal is ratified in eight to twelve weeks.
The football club needs stability, and they will bring that. That’s the most important thing first and foremost and then you have a foundation to build on. There has been a lot of uncertainty behind-the-scenes, Dyche has alluded to that, and the fans have been left in the dark to a certain extent.
The club needs leadership from the top because at the moment there isn’t any. The guy who’s acting CEO at the moment is Mr Chong, and he’s been put there by default. He was initially looking after the stadium project, and everyone has gone so he’s had to step in there.
Once they get in and find their feet, start to implement their business plan, I think Everton fans will want to see what their vision is.
How can Everton learn from previous owners mistakes and maximise the club’s commercial revenue?
Everton fans want to see the new owners business acumen straight away. They need to put the right people in the right roles at the top of the football club. That’s what the club has been missing for a while now.
With the new stadium being developed, Everton are going to much better off financially than they have been before. The investment and the commercial opportunity is going to take Everton to a level that they’ve never seen before.
There’s some really important items at the top of the new owners to-do list. They need to learn from the mistakes of previous owners and start reconnecting with the fans of the club. There are some wounds that need to be healed because the previous board divided the fanbase and threw mud at a lot of different people, they made statements about certain fans that were completely untrue.
Getting to know the fans and understanding them is essential in turning Everton into a successful football club. The owners need to go in and listen to the fans. Everton fans don’t perceive their club to be up there with Manchester United and Arsenal, we don’t expect to be winning trophies year-after-year. We know what we are and who we are. We’re a city club. We’re hard-working, we know where we are, we know where our standing is. A lot of the fans will say, just give us our club back. What gives us the DNA is that Everton is a family club, it’s a hard-working club, with some fantastic people behind-the-scenes. For too long there were people working behind-the-scenes who weren’t taking any accountability.
It’s a big job for the Friedkin Group…
The new owners know they’ve got a big job to do. They’ve got a background where they’ve gone into clubs and turned them around. I think Everton would now be their primary project, which would be great.
We’ve had an owner come in and throw money around like it’s going out of fashion and make completely wrong decisions. He was listening to agents and non-football people. Everton have been an example of what not to do.
Now we want to be an example of what to do and how to run a football club. I’m excited but nervous, which is being an Everton fan in a nutshell.
I think they’re the right people. I’m really looking forward to Daniel Friedkin coming to the club and taking it over.
I’m interested to see what his plans are, where he takes the football club, and where he leads us into the new stadium.
Jose Mourinho has been touted as a potential Dyche replacement. Would he be a good hire in your opinion?
If Everton were going to appoint the Mourinho of old, the young Mourinho who was so successful and charismatic, then I would say yes bring him in to the football club, and without being disrespectful to Sean Dyche, I think most Everton fans would because peak Mourinho was a very special manager.
If Everton were going to move for him now, I don’t think it would be a good move to be honest. His last few spells in management haven’t really worked out for him. He still provides that bit of sparkle on occasion, but it’s rare. I think he has got a little bit bitter and dour over the last decade.
He’s obviously had an amazing career. I’m not too sure whether he’s the right man, and whether or not this is the right time.
Obviously, the Friedkin Group knows him well, so if they make a decision and want him to come in, I’ll have to get right behind that.
If Daniel Friedkin thinks that Jose Mourinho can take Everton to the place the club wants to be, then he would have my full support in the job.
How important was it to keep Jarrad Branthwaite this summer?
In terms of Jarrard Branthwaite still being here, it was the best bit of business Everton have done in the last 10 years. I think the fact that he had his operation, United were trying to buy him on the cheap.
They were probably trying to take advantage of Everton’s financial position, whereas Everton thankfully did a bit of business with other clubs in terms of their academy players and eased those financial concerns. That eased the pressure massively on the club, so they did not need to sell a prized asset.
For me, Jarrad Branthwaite is in the current market, a £70m player. He’s a rare commodity: he’s a left-sided centre-back, he’s quick, 6’ 3”. His reading of the game is very impressive.
How good can he be for Everton and England or will he need to move on to become a big player for England?
The England number one Jordan Pickford is on our team, and he hasn’t had to move to keep his place. So, from that point of view, I don’t think it’s a necessity that Jarrad has to move on to fulfil his international ambitions.
There’s bits of Jarrad’s game that still need work, but he’s got a huge amount of potential, not just for Everton but for England as well.
I think he’s one for the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if Branthwaite is in the upcoming England squads because he’s someone that, whether it’s Lee Carseley or a new man, that you would want in that squad as quickly as possible.
Questions on Celtic
Is Brendan Rogers being tactically naive in his approach to the game after his defeat to Borussia Dortmund?
It all depends on how you look at it. There will be certain people who will say, ‘Well done for sticking to your principles and what you want to do.’ There will be others saying it’s naive.
The SPFL and the Champions League are completely different ball games and when you’re coming up against a team that are recent finalists, the quality is going to be at a level that you’ve not played against.
Celtic were completely opened up on the night and they were given a hammering by a very talented Dortmund team. I don’t know how beneficial it is for the players to take a hammering like that in terms of confidence, despite Brendan’s recent comments saying that is an experience his players will benefit from.
Celtic SPFL form and the victory against Slovan Bratislava gave them the confidence to have a go in Dortmund….
Celtic have been fantastic in the league, regularly blowing teams away. Some of their football has been really, really good. They’ve looked on a completely different level to the other teams in Scotland and are a cut above the rest. I don’t think that any of the teams in Scotland can live with their pace, and how quickly they move the ball.
The Champions League is a totally different level. I think Brendan may have had his judgement clouded after Celtic’s very impressive result against Slovan Bratislava at home on the opening night. Celtic were excellent that night, but there’s a difference between playing Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park and Borussia Dortmund. To go to Dortmund and still try to play that style of football against a team that is so quick on the counter, with better players – Celtic were completely undone.
Do you expect Rodgers to tweak his tactics in Europe?
Even though Brendan said he won’t change his approach, I think he will change it slightly when Celtic play away from home. They can play beautiful, front-footed football at Celtic Park, there’s no doubt about that, but when they go away from home, I do think his approach will be slightly different. It will have to be.
Does the success in Scotland ramp up the pressure in Europe? Should they be looking to get into the playoff reckoning?
Brendan’s record in Europe is certainly something that he’ll look to improve this season, because it hasn’t been great. Celtic’s dominance of domestic football in Scotland does put the Champions League into sharper focus.
When you look at this new format, you would like to think that Celtic would get into the play-off positions at a minimum. That has to be the minimum requirement for Brendan in the Champions League this season, finishing from ninth to twenty-fourth in the table.
Looking at the points, realistically, to finish in those positions, it looks like you might get away with nine points, but ten to fourteen is the benchmark, and Celtic already have three on the board.
I look at the games, they’ve got Atalanta away next, which is going to be tough, so you wouldn’t expect them to get something there. Then they’ve got Leipzig at home, Club Bruges at home, and then Zagreb away. Those are the games where they need to start putting points on the board. If they can take six points from those games, then they’re almost there in terms of making that play-off. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s certainly doable.
Looking further ahead, they’ve got Young Boys and then Villa away. It’s going to be tough, but it’s achievable. I think if they don’t get the required points to finish in the play-off positions then the Champions League would be looked at as a failure for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic this season. It would be really disappointing if Celtic’s European campaign ended at the group stage.
Questions on Managers/Teammates
Some players are born to be managers. Was that the vibe you got from the likes of Lee Carsely and Mikel Arteta?
Having played with both Lee Carsley and Mikel Arteta, if you asked me which of the pair was destined to be a manager, I would have picked Lee Carsley every day of the week over Mikel.
Lee was a great lad. Great in the dressing room and a really good organiser on the pitch.
Mikel was also great in the dressing room and on the pitch, but to me, he had more of the aura of a coach and not a manager.
Can you see Lee Carsley being given the England job on a full-time basis?
Lee’s gone about his business in the coaching world quietly. He’s such a hard-worker and he’s the type of personality that has kept a low profile, while improving and getting better as a manager all the time. He started coaching at Coventry and then went on to Brentford, looking after the development squad. His success from there with various England youth teams has led him to the big seat and now he’s the England manager.
Lee knows that this is an interim position. He knows it’s a chance for him to impress the FA and potentially be in consideration for the job on a full-time basis. Lee’s very diligent, he’s a good coach. He’ll have good people around him. Lee’s one of those characters that I don’t think will just want to stick around for the sake of things. He’ll want to know where he stands in terms of taking the job full-time and, after this next round of matches, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s asking about whether he’ll get the job permanently or not, especially if things go well.
I have the feeling that the FA are quite happy to bide their time on who to appoint s the permanent England manager. They know they’re in safe hands with Lee at the helm, but I also get the feeling that they are waiting to see who else could become available in the summer. I hope that isn’t the case and Lee does enough to land the job permanently.
Mikel Arteta has undoubtedly established himself as one of the best managers in Europe, but does he need to start winning titles to be considered among the very best?
Mikel has done brilliantly at Arsenal. I don’t think anyone could argue that he hasn’t done really well since he took the job.
He came under a lot of pressure at Arsenal early in his tenure. There were moments where it wasn’t looking great for him, but the club kept the faith and they’ve been rewarded for that.
If you look at where Arsenal were when he went in to the club and where they are now, the difference is night and day. He’s progressed them so much on the pitch and he’s clearly cultivated a brilliant environment away from the pitch for his players as well.
One of the most powerful things that he has done at the football club as the manager is united the fanbase and the wider club. Everyone at Arsenal is completely sold on his leadership and direction. These days the Emirates Stadium is a really intimidating place to go and Mikel deserves a lot of praise for getting the Arsenal fans right up for it.
We’ve seen him wear his heart on his sleeve on the touchline, and I think that sometimes he can be a bit emotional. Managing probably isn’t good for his blood pressure, but that’s his style and I don’t think he will change.
He’s taken Arsenal to within a whisker of the Premier League title. They’re contenders now, but for Mikel to be recognised as one of the best managers in the game, he needs to start winning things. That’s the next step for him and I think he will get there – I tipped Arsenal to win the Premier League this season.
