Kasper Schmeichel: Leicester Miracle, Life at Celtic & His Dad! | Stick to Football 73
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Start shopping at thrivemarket.com slash podcast for 30% off your first order and a free gift. Do you even know you're sat here and there's people in here? It just feels quite peaceful sat here. It's nice though, isn't it? Yeah. It's just you and six cameras. It doesn't feel like there is six cameras, Ben. That's the homely atmosphere that you've all created. It's only taken almost two years. Mmm.

He has to have the same snacks out of everything. He's a bit weird. Casper, welcome. Welcome. Thank you. Welcome. Hi, Casper. Yeah, what's up?

OK, mate. That's a handshake. Wow. Was I a bit grumpy last week? Yeah, you were really grumpy last week. No, no, no. He was grumpy last week. I think you were on your TV. Casper's the best smelling guest. Is that right? What have you seen? He's gone on. What are you wearing, Casper? Can I not tell? Don't tell. Never tell, Casper. Get a sponsorship deal out of it.

It's Louis Vuitton Imagination. Oh! Imagination! Oh, just something, pina! I'm saying that's Salah. Remember Salah? We interviewed him after it. Oh, he smelled beautiful. That was after the game. I'll tell you about Dez Walker. Dez Walker. It's like he went on to the pitch, he smelled amazing. I think, who is the best smelling Patrick Vieira? Louis Vuitton. And he would never share what it was.

When he was at Man City. Is it? How did you smell him? What are you doing smelling people, Jill? What are you doing, Jill? What's wrong with you, Jill? Jill, do you know before when me and you used to change our noses? Did you smell him?

How do you smell him? I know. He worked at City, didn't he, at the academy? Yeah, I know he worked there, but how did you smell him? Well, because we were in, like, literally the smallest building ever when we first signed for City, so he was just always there and he smelled lovely. You know aftershave? You know when you were growing up? Faraday, I used to drink that stuff. Faraday? Yeah. But what I'm saying... Da Vinci. I thought because it was called aftershave, you'd only put it on. Oh, yeah, aftershave. You'd put your spray on, but if you didn't have a shave, I wouldn't have...

and put stuff I think that was a bit like what are you putting smelly stuff you'd had to put it on after a shave after a shave and because I didn't shave that often I hardly ever put it on I know where do you actually put after shave I just you just spray it here but what I'm saying is I used to think I can only put it on after a shave so now we'd on a game was it last year with Patrick did he do it and he said Gilly you remember said you smell beautiful what oh

The difference between the best in the world and just below that is mentality. The ones that make it to the absolute top, they're ruthless killers. Someone give away a penalty away at Chelsea. I was going for the Golden Glove.

Jeff Schlupp. So you don't forget, do you? You would obviously hear it to him, when you come, you come with violence. I was like, oh, I love that. Sitting there watching you guys, that was the standard that was set. I remember thinking, these kids are a nuisance. So he was behind me, and I'd mark him like that. LAUGHTER

The usual one. Keepers shouldn't be beaten at the airport. That kind of indicates, well, it's okay to be beaten at the far post. No, it's not. We always joke we're the best pub team in the world. We're sat on the bus afterwards and like, lads, this is happening. Jesus, how much string did you have? LAUGHTER

Caspi played last night? Yeah. Yeah, he did. You must have done your homework, guys. Yeah, you must. Did you not know he played last night? I was watching Palace. Villa. You just said we had been. You must know Saturday. Yeah, but I... You must know Saturday to get home to Aberdeen. Everyone knows that. You won last night. We won last night, yeah. Leanshees?

lost in the 90s oh no yeah don't tell me you got beaten by the Nair Post he knew that he knew that the game was over see when it happens like that's what you should say to your dad strangely enough that stage of the game Cass right and are you actually starting to think I just don't want to concede now

I know you don't want to see it anyway. I was going to say, that's the whole game. No, I think, and again, that's the thing with clean sheets, I think, is it's a bit of like a vanity stat because we're 4-0 up at the time. You know, we are pretty comfortable within the game and then they go and get a goal and then we go straight down and score again. But that's what I mean about like when you're 4-0 up as a goalkeeper, that's when you think, right, I've got to keep a clean sheet. I think, Kasper, I'm the same as you.

I can still remember times, and I'd feel worse, the fact that it was 4-0 and then they scored than if it was 1-0 or 2-0. Not 1-0, because you'd be drawing, but say it was 2-0. And I always go back to a game, I still remember, Portsmouth away. It was our last away game of the season and we were going for the record most clean sheet. So at Liverpool, I think, Hanson and Loreton, it was like we were both on 33 clean sheets for the season. So we beat Portsmouth 3-0. Harry Kuehl doesn't go with the full-back on an overlap.

the goal goes in back post last minute of the game we win 3-1 I come in I kick the door put my foot right through the door when we came in in the dressing room and everyone was like I was just like I was like a lunatic and we didn't get the clean sheet and the next week we played our own against fucking Charlton

Benitez rested all players because we had the Champions League final. We drew 2-2 at home with Charles. We don't get the clean sheet again and we don't get in the Champions League final and we don't get the record and it all goes back to that fucking Portsmouth game. Harry Kane, the home run runner. Was it a clean sheet bonus though? No, but it was just a thing to say we had the most clean sheets and it was like... We'll have to get Harry on the podcast. Yeah, get Harry on, yeah. He does call Harry on the podcast. He's a talented boy, don't you think?

Would you have been annoyed last night, Kasper? Yeah, I mean, it's a mentality thing. And to be fair, we've been brilliant out of this season. You know, when we have had games where we have been comfortable, we have been quite ruthless. I think it's more of a ruthless mentality that you're saying, like, we're not going to be beaten. You'd have been annoyed in the dressing room last night. Yeah, I was annoyed. Also because I think, I didn't actually know this at the time, but I was told afterwards that it would have been the first time in Celtic history that a team had kept ten clean sheets. Oh, no!

In a row at home? In a row at home. We've only conceded two at home all season and that was against Aberdeen back in October. So this was the first time we conceded since October at home. Sloppiness at the end. Just that stick in your head. Yeah, 100%. But again, I think... It will. You've got to hit that record again. You've got to go another... You've got to tangle. Well, yeah, by doing 10 games. I know, but it's hard to do. It is, it is. Records are there to be broken, aren't they? I know, but they never broke it.

Yeah, but somebody else will probably break it. It mightn't be him. Yeah, but when you get that league medal in a few weeks, hopefully it won't be on the back of any clean sheets you had. You get that medal. Don't get bogged down. I 100% agree. I mean, for me, that's why I say clean sheets is more of a vanity stat because it's much more about I'd much rather win 2-1 than draw 0-0. I've never been called fame. So...

again it is all about winning and you have that I probably had about an hour of frustration after the game but then you know right now but yeah you win the game and that's at the end of the day that's the most important thing can I ask you about because I used to have this debate with Pepe Reina so the goalkeeper when you get clean sheets I know what you're saying the most important thing is winning but like the top goal scorer gets a golden boot and in England now I don't know if they have it in Scotland there's a golden gloves or something with the most clean sheets why does the keeper get it

Who's more important to clean sheets? A keeper or a back four? Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keep

Listen, the year we won the league, I lost the Golden Glove because of a penalty. Like, someone gave away a penalty away at Chelsea. You know, I was going for the Golden Glove. Who gave it away? Jeff Schlupp. So you don't forget, do you? Also, when we had the game before against Everton, we had the chance and N'Golo Kante missed his first tackle of the season. You know, and Kevin Morella scores. And yeah, that definitely sticks in my mind because you figure out, or you find out, there are...

There are certain times in careers that you might have a chance to win these things. I never played for teams in the Premier League that were always competing for these kind of things, but I had one chance to win a Golden Glove and it didn't happen. And that's, of course, as a vanity thing, of course, that's something you look back and think, oh God, I'd have loved to have had that. But at the end of the day,

after the Everton you know stood with with the real trophy I still go with goalkeepers would you swap it for the goalkeeper I'm going with the goalkeeper because he's making that okay then let's give this is what I used to say to Reina to wind him up anyway the best defence in the league the best back four and the worst goalie yeah put them together put the best goalie in the league and the worst defence together who'll keep the most clean sheets

Probably the best of both worlds. I do agree with you because it is one of those things that...

The best games for me are the ones where I'm not involved because that's when the team is working perfectly. And when you're playing for top clubs, as a keeper, you might just have one action a game. And that's because of your defence and that's because of, particularly in modern football because of the pressing now, you've got to be 11 people, 10 people pressing and defending. And

It gives me a much better chance as a keeper of getting a clean sheet if they're all on it. And remember, he used to be a defender, Casper. Different angles to these arguments. This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Skybest.

Hi folks, it's Mark from the podcast Food with Mark Bittman. As the weather gets warmer, it's time for lighter meals and Whole Foods Market has just what you're looking for with great everyday prices. Look for the yellow low price signs that help you save money without compromising the quality you expect. Nothing, absolutely nothing in the store has any high fructose corn syrup, for example.

Just shop with confidence. Save on the best of spring with great everyday prices at Whole Foods Market.

I actually said that the goalkeeping position is, I think it's been disagreed with around this table, is the most difficult position on the pitch. I'm going to ask a goalkeeper, would you agree? No, I agree with that. I agree in the sense that it's like everyone always says you've got to be crazy to be a keeper. And I agree with that because goalkeeping is the position of ultimate responsibility. Without perfection or as close to perfection as possible, you're going to cost your team.

And there's no worse feeling in the world than costing your team. Walking off that pitch, looking around the stadium, like, this is my fault. So to embrace and love that kind of pressure, you've got to be a little bit crazy. Because that's a big pressure. Because any mistake we make will be exposed. So I think we have to be more meticulous in our preparation in everything that we do. I think we have to...

assume a responsibility that not many people on the pitch would assume. I think if outfielders maybe had the same attention to detail, then we'd probably be better. But we cost the team if we make mistakes, so we have to be ultimately prepared. Yeah, but your biggest challenge is a reaction after a mistake. Everyone says that. At the big clubs, if you make a mistake and it costs you, it's how you react, it's your next movement. Not that it drags you down. The great goalkeepers, including your dad, would...

would obviously make mistakes. That's to name it again. We all make mistakes, but the top goalkeepers would move on quickly from it. Like a top striker, you miss a chance, it's gone. I think that's to test the top goalkeepers mentally, isn't it? Would you use a psychologist? Yeah. And the reason I say that is because I think as a goalkeeper...

I always remember Rafa Benitez saying something as a goalkeeper and a defender. We can't win the game. We can only lose the game. You know what I mean? We've got to try and keep... The guys at the top will win the game. So it's about not making mistakes. And I know the feeling I used to have making a mistake, but I'm sure that must be doubly difficult for the goalkeeper. You know, you're probably more susceptible to that making a mistake or maybe costing your team. And how you... I found that difficult as a player over the next few days, waiting for the next game, always thinking, I want to play the next day. Yeah, I think...

To answer your question, yeah, I've used psychologists a lot. But I think as a keeper, you've got to be bulletproof. So I think particularly my dad, and you'd obviously know, there was this bravado of it's never your fault. But that's a kind of... No, but you've got to protect yourself. Because if you start doubting yourself, and if any kind of doubt creeps into you, then you're in trouble as a keeper. So you have to kind of...

put on this cloak of invincibility that it's never my fault. You know, it's always someone, and that's just probably just a coping mechanism. But you have to have this confidence in yourself. And I think the confidence comes in the work that you do. Like if you're preparing right, if you make sure that throughout your career, particularly in the younger years, you're getting your basic handling techniques, all these little things, you're getting them right.

That just means the muscle memory is there. So that automatically just builds the confidence. And then when you make a mistake, you've got to just...

You've just got to own it. That's it. You move on. Because the worst thing you then do is go looking for work as a keeper. Because if you go looking for work and wanting to show, actually, that mistake isn't me. I want to go and show that I'm better than that. Then you start causing chaos within the team and you start causing chaos within the defence and then more mistakes are made. I've never heard a goalkeeper say they're really interested in that. You know, that sort of thing of...

I'm trying to think of it as a player you give a pass away you want to get the ball and make your next pass right but as a goalkeeper you're probably thinking I mightn't touch the ball for 10 or 15 minutes how difficult is that to stop yourself getting involved is that something you learn with maturity I always thought I always looked at outfielders

is lucky in the sense that, you know, I think you said that, you know, you'd sometimes just smash into someone just to make yourself feel better. I can't do that. I can't go and make myself feel better because my position is reactionary. I have to wait for something to come. And even the next action could be someone putting in the top bin and I can't do anything about that either. You know, so what you have to learn is patience and you have to have, you know, some kind of...

feeling of acceptance that this is my position. I'm not going to be able to go and rectify a mistake. I have to wait for the next opportunity to do it. And then you've got to separate yourself from that. Is that where you can be more vocal? I see someone keep just saying they make a mistake or they're shouting at players and you're going...

you're not shouting real sense for goalkeepers and I'm including your dad here top goalkeepers it's almost like I'm just keeping myself on my toes I'm just keeping them on their toes they're not sitting there going hopefully I'll get a save in the next 10 minutes

Because I used to think your dad, remember, used to be shouting, going, what are you shouting for? We're in control of it. But it was more just for his concentration levels. Keeping them in the game, yeah. Yeah, maybe, yeah, of course. I think so. I think the game has changed from my dad's era in the sense that the big shouty keepers, you don't see that that much anymore. And I think, yeah, it was a way of keeping yourself involved in the game. Myself, I think when I was younger, you know, I modelled myself on his behaviours and

I think as a young kid coming up, that probably got me in more trouble than anything because who's this little kid shouting and screaming? And then you learn, actually, I can't do that. I have to be different. I have to be more of a fan. How old were you when you kind of realised? Where did you first go and go where it's on me now? I'm the goalkeeper. I've got to make this happen. Well, it would have been my debut, my league debut for Darlington. Darlington. How old was you?

What was I 17? Something like that. It was an emergency loan. I was called up on the Friday and we played on the side. I came straight to the game. I didn't know anybody. And by the way, we didn't have name on the shirts and all that. So I honestly, I was struggling to kind of communicate. But isn't that great for a young player? Just thrown in like that. Off you go. It was great. I think it was better that way maybe. For me, 100%. 100%. And it was one of those. I felt like as a kid, I'd...

I'd had this dream of being a goalie and now I was a goalie. Okay, granted, it was League 2 and all, but it didn't matter. Now it mattered. I'd played reserve football, I'd done all those things, but what I had done, I'd spent...

so many hours just simple, maybe boring, catching balls, just catching, trying to do it. Now I had to implement it. This was now the test for me. Right, okay, I could go in training and I can do all these things in training. Can I now go and bring it in a game? And I remember we played, I think we played about a minute, a minute and a half, and they got a wide free kick. And I don't know if you remember, there's a defender called Ben Futcher who's like six foot six.

and they obviously seen the 70 year old kid they're like let's stick it on top of him so stuck on top I came out and I punched it and he absolutely melted yeah exactly but then that was kind of right I'm in it now this is it this is real football but what it also was it wasn't the money of the Premier League the

The win bonuses, they mattered to these guys. And I was now responsible for this. If I came into this as a 17-year-old not prepared for this, then I'm going to cost these guys. And that, for me, that's real responsibility. And that was what I just felt straight away. Wow, I love this. Wow. I love this. This is me. How difficult, because you had quite a few long moves, didn't you, at the beginning? How difficult was that to go and impose yourself in the dressing room? I loved it. I kept pushing for it because...

My dad had always said to me about training. You can train all you want, but it's about games. And having games on your CV doesn't really matter at that age about the level because you've got to be able to go and do it. And you've got to do the hard stuff as well. So for me, it was great because I went to Darlington, I went to Bury, I went to all these kind of smaller clubs. And I'd come from Man City.

you know, and we had great facilities and everything was done for you. And you go to Bury and, you know, you've got to wash your own kit and you've got to drive to the training ground. We're training on Goshen Park and things like, you know, there's glass and dog crap on the floor, you know, but that kind of was like, well, this is the game. Yeah.

And it was all for me, right, I have to do this to get to where I want to be. And again, I loved it. I was part of a relegation battle as an 18-year-old and we saved ourselves on the last day away at Notts County and I give away a penalty and cost a penalty. That feeling of, wow, I almost...

I almost got a red card. You obviously saved it, no? I didn't save it. We were 2-0 up, luckily, at the time. We were 2-0 up at the time. But again, that was that feeling of responsibility, knowing that you've got to be perfect here. Because it came from a save where maybe in another game I'd have held it, but because of the magnitude of the game, I chose to parry it and then I went for the second ball and then clattered into him. You know when you're going on loan? That's difficult, I think, for any young player, 17, 18-year-old, but you're a goalkeeper. Yeah.

and you're Peter Schmeichel's son and you're going into these dressing rooms was that ever I wouldn't say a problem you know did you feel extra pressure as if your dad's such a obviously a legendary figure in the game I mean how did you deal with that or did you ever find that do you know what it's weird I never my dad always said to me it's going to be harder for you than anyone

And I didn't understand why. Because at the end of the day, football's football. I loved football. I grew up watching football. I grew up watching you guys. And it was just like, that's where I want to get to. And there was no doubt in my mind I was going to get there.

But I think the journey of it is what I learned that, you know, I thought, OK, I'm at Man City, I'll go on alone and then, you know, I'll get my debut and then we're going to, you know, then we're going to be cruising, we're going to be stepping up every season. But then, you know, you get a few setbacks, you get a few, you get an injury, you get the... And you learn actually to do that job of being a Premier League player. That is tough. That is such a tough job. So...

In terms of my dad, he never put any pressure on me. He always said to me before every game, you've got nothing to prove. Just go out and play football. Be the guy you are. Love the game. But don't go out to prove anything.

You know, obviously we've spoke a couple of times on the CBS show that we do and his dad's been on the road doing the games and done a couple of Celtic games and they've come in at the end and it's been brilliant, brilliant TV watching. So his dad's interviewing him about the game and it's been brilliant and obviously love working with your dad. Being away from him to Dortmund was an interesting thing. But there was something your dad said that I took for myself because my son's in the game and I thought, I really like that. He said...

You and him almost decided very early on in your career that he was your dad, not your coach. Your coach is at the club and you have that sort of father-son relationship in goal. Could you just explain how that worked or how you decided that or was that ever a problem at some stage early on? No, I think...

I was at sports college in Denmark and I had the opportunity to stay there another year or I had an opportunity to go on trial. I went on trial at Man United, at Fulham and Aston Villa. Fulham and Aston Villa gave me the opportunity and then I went to Man City and they gave me an opportunity. And basically my dad and I had a conversation where we just said, right,

what he asked me, what do you want my role to be? And I said, I want you to be my dad. That's it. Because I just think that relationship between a father and a son particularly is, I didn't want to tarnish that. We had such a good relationship. I didn't want it to become difficult for him because he'd have to come, he'd have to be critical of me, which I think now as a father myself, I know that would be, that's difficult. But,

And it would just, you know, the lines would become blurred a little bit. So we made the decision quite early that we're going to stick with what we have. And then, you know, I had Tim Flowers, Premier League winner as well, as my coach. You know, so I was in good hands. You know, we had David Seaman as the senior goalkeeper. So there was enough, like, good people around me to kind of learn from. But he was always there if I wanted to ask anything. And I think the...

What I have used him for is more the life of a goalkeeper or a life of a professional. How do you balance that? I think that's kind of more the conversations that we have. Not really in terms of technical stuff because I'm built very differently to him. I'm not the same size as him. I have very different attributes to what he had. So I'm never going to be able to be like him. So...

You know, it's one of those we just very, very early decided that we're going to keep this, you know, family and that as kind of business. I love that. It's pretty cool, that. Did you think about not being a goalkeeper in sort of your young years? We obviously remember you coming and you always had the goalkeeping top and obviously your dad's one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, if not the greatest. So did you ever think, I want to try and play out, I want to try and play different positions? I played lots of different... I only really became a goalkeeper probably at...

Like, obviously, you know, like you say, I was at the training ground and, you know, stood behind the goal and tried to save some of the shots that went wide and stuff like that. But I didn't... That was scary. But, no, I enjoyed playing outfield as well. So, yeah, it wasn't really till 14. And I kind of got to a stage where I thought, right, I want to be a professional footballer.

what's going to get me there and I was a winger and a striker I wasn't quick enough to be a winger striker I could maybe play target man but you know it was probably for 40 minutes no more than that but so I thought what's going to get me to be a Premier League player that would be goalkeeper so I made the decision at about 14 right I'm going to stick to this had you been in goal before that

Yeah, I'd been a bit kind of all over the place. Like Gary said, I'd been to the training ground a lot. I always had the goalie gloves on and all that. And that was, you know, that for me was the, that was the start of my love for football. You know, I used to sit on, if you remember the cliff, they had the concrete benches. I used to sit on the roof of that and watch you guys train, do the boxes, do the games with the overturned benches. And, you know, that was just like,

I was like a sponge, like just absorbing all this, the, like the ferocity of the year. All the other kids, I remember thinking these kids are a nuisance. Yeah. These kids. Yeah. Get these out. I can imagine you, the old grouch you are. This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Skybest.

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I never used to talk to anyone before the game, like my own family. You open the paper and it's rugby's on its knees. You're like, is it? It was the most hated man in Wales. If I've got something to say, I'll say it.

What's the worst injury you've all had? I broke my nose in New Zealand. Broke it on Saturday and played on the Wednesday. Breaking your nose is the worst thing ever. You can't not play. I had 14 stitches down the front there. I said, I don't need anaesthetic to do it. And they're like, legend. You're hard-ass, mate. Hard-ass. Are we excited? Oh, yeah. The vicious rumour is we're recording a podcast called Stick to... Rugby. Stick to Rugby. That's it. Not football. Not football.

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It is great though, like when you see, because I've seen all them pictures of you with the Premier League trophy when you're little and then to see you then lift it. In that moment, do you think back about being little? Because them pictures, they must be so special to keep, like you with your dad and then you've went and done it. It's incredible. Yeah, I mean, it's weird to say, but...

winning is the be all and end all in my family, you know? Yeah. And I think if I look back on my career without a name, just numbers, I'd say, you know, I've done okay, but my dad won five. Yeah. You know what I mean? So, so in my mind, it's never enough when you've got to win every single game. There's no,

you know, there's no settling. This isn't, this isn't just, uh, this isn't just a game for me. This means the world to me because the standard was set from, and that was you guys. What, you know, as a kid sitting there watching you guys, that was the standard that was set. Um,

there's like anything below winning the league or winning trophies, just that's not good enough. So, and, but that was all in my mind. That was no, no one else has kind of said that to me, but that, that's just the way I grew up because I grew up watching greatness and I was so close to it. I was, I was a part of these parties of,

winning parties and again I think in my young years I thought oh that's normal you know that's normal of course at the end of every season there's a party because we won you know but then you realise oh Jesus it is a lot harder than that and you appreciate it a lot more and I think also with the relationship with my dad now going into a career like this

a lot more what he kind of went through as a younger man balancing life balancing football all these kind of things it's not easy and that is why not everyone can do it but...

You're obviously wanting to reach the top senior dad, like you mentioned. He's got five. And you're at certain clubs where you're thinking, is it going to happen here for me? Because obviously it happened at Leicester. It's like winning five, doing it at Leicester. Yeah. It's amazing. You were saying that last week, Gal. Yeah, I think that... No, it's the best...

Look, it's the greatest achievement by any Premier League club. It's the greatest, I think, achievement. Maybe. I can't think of another achievement that even comes close to it. I think Forest. We have to mention Forest. So, yeah. You're talking Premier League, but let's just talk about achievement. Yeah, no, Forest comes into that category, but to be fair... Leicester in the Premier League era. Yeah.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it's the best achievement, I think. So when you... I want to go back to that psychology. What work was the psychologist doing with you specifically? Because I'm thinking about, obviously, you've got your dad as a mentor who, to be fair, had an unbelievable mentality. And you've obviously picked up those traits. You've got a big personality. So what was the work that the psychologist was doing with you in terms of specifically? It was more trying to compartmentalise things, you know, to be able to...

Yeah, I don't actually know how to explain it. Would it be mistake management, basically? No, because, I don't know, the thing about mistakes is I was always taught to embrace mistakes because that's where you learn. I was always taught that mistakes in your younger years are good because that's when you learn. It's the mechanism that you then use where you analyse exactly what did I do. And that's what I always did. I always went into real specific detail. If I'd made a mistake...

I'd, you know, I'd really watch from every single angle, watch things like foot position, things like handset, all these little minute things. But at the end of the day, I think if you took every, all 20 Premier League keepers now and you put them in the same training session, they'd all be equally as good. But the difference between the best in the world and just below that is mentality. You know, I think the best goalkeepers, they don't care if they make a mistake.

They just embrace that as just a part of the game. You make a mistake and you move on. Good striker doesn't care if he misses. You say that about mistakes and just to counter that because I know you've come through it but I look at, say for instance, the lad at Chelsea now, Jorgensen, I look at Sanchez, they've made a series of mistakes and I'm only highlighting that goalkeeper because he's the one that I've seen recently.

If you make too many mistakes as a goalkeeper, your reputation, and then you get dropped. And when your goalkeeper gets dropped, I think it's the most savage thing in the world when a goalkeeper gets dropped. I always like, my stomach churns a little bit. When I see two goalkeepers vying for the same position, one makes a mistake, then the other one comes in. It's almost like no one likes it in the media, no one likes it in football. You can't make too many mistakes. No, you can't.

and yeah it's as simple as that and that is the cutthroat nature of being a goalkeeper if you make too many mistakes you're out and the chances are of you getting back in anytime soon is very very small do you feel for goalkeepers you know we are two good goalkeepers and we've had it united massively these players they make a mistake and they go under they go yeah and you know yeah you look we walk in and go no he's a really good goalkeeper

But they're just going under and your heart does go to a goalkeeper. We can all be critical of goalkeepers. We do the TV every week. Oh, he's got to save it, blah, blah, blah. But when you see a really good goalkeeper going under, it's tough to watch, isn't it? And the keepers must have a different view on that. There's always respect between the keepers because we know what each other's going through. But the ones that make it to the absolute top, they're ruthless killers. They're absolute ruthless killers. Like I said, you have to be bulletproof. So you have to have this...

This magical capon that you are the man, you are the best. And regardless of what anyone says, whether it's the coach, teammates, your dad, pundits, whatever, you are the best. They have no idea what they're talking about. But that, again, that only comes if you've done the work. So if you, like I say, if you've done the work, you know, you know, I always said I never did anything to prove anyone wrong. I do it to prove myself right.

And I can only say that because I know I've done the work to be there. If I had cut corners...

I wouldn't have that confidence in it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I'd cut corners. But keep... You know, I think your dad was probably described when he was a player, people might say he's arrogant on the pitch, you didn't know. Would people describe you as that? But if they did, what I'm saying is, is that part of this cloak? Is this part of this, like... Yeah, I think it is. I think it is. I think... And again, I think you have to have a certain...

certain bit of arrogance about you. I think if you look at, you look at someone like Emi Martinez, the career that he's had to get the chance he then had later in his career, he,

It's as if he's put on a cloak of, and now he is bulletproof. You know, he is invincible now. And that chest forward now, he's unbeatable and he's one of the best in the world. But that transformation from the guy who's on loan at all these places and never really getting the shot at Arsenal to then going and being the main man for Argentina and for Aston Villa, you know, that's a mentality shift.

He's made a few mistakes this year. But keepers will make mistakes. And you're always on the border. You're always on the line. The best keepers... You look at someone like Edison. The bravery he shows in playing that high. That is... You can be brave taking shots... You stare to watch. No, but it's not... I love watching it because that, for me...

It goes beyond bravery. It's like Neuer. Neuer, for me, is the most complete goalkeeper of the last 25 years because there's no weakness. And again, he'll make mistakes by playing that way, but he won't care. He'll do it again. He'll do it again because the 98 times it goes well, that serves the team a better purpose than the two times it goes wrong.

And the two times you go wrong, you live with that. It's great for goalkeepers now to be appreciated. For years, I know back in the day, everyone thought you needed a top goalkeeper. Remember, we used to train and you'd walk past the goalkeepers doing a few drills and players would go, they're doing nothing. But now everyone looks and goes, if you want to go places, you need a bloody good goalkeeper. You mentioned Martinez. I was watching this last night and it absolutely drove me crazy at home. So I had to wound it back and play it. We can't show it on television, right?

Right. So who's this? Who are we talking about? This is Martinez. Right. He took so long here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Remember this time? Yeah, yeah, we were talking about it. We were here because we're footballing people. Yes. No, no, rewind it back. We want to hear that. Yeah, but it's like chess, isn't it? They're waiting for them to make a move. No, no, just watch. You have to just watch. It's incredible. I've never seen anything like it. This is taking so long. He picks it up with a guy who's springed. Yeah. No, no, no, no. No, he doesn't pick it up.

throw it from home then do you know what I mean so Martins Martins has been on it's 25 seconds yeah boss the score at this time nil nil 15 minutes in he did pick it up he did pick it up right I said he picked it up then they go back to him yeah we was watching this Roy he goes wide yeah Gareth what are you on about what's your point

he's going to give it back to him then he blasts it right now he's got it back brilliant right so it's one minute of football that that was a great play beautiful play that's how they get told to play though isn't it away from home girl Casper that's one minute of football where Emi Martins has literally stood on the ball for 35 seconds and just rolled his foot over it I mean

can you try and convince me what the strategy is and what the thinking is behind that do you know what the strategy is what is the strategy behind that to try and entice him on entice him on and pass through quick girl that's who I am we played them in the Champions League and that was a big feature of it the second you jump towards him that's when the pass comes

I mean, we at Celtic play differently. So we do a similar thing, but we do it from the centre-halves. So when I get the ball, I'm not standing on it, I'm giving it to the centre-halves. And then they're waiting for the movement. And I think it's just tactical chess. That's basically what it is. And obviously that example there,

it ends up a little bit muddled and it ends up back in his hands but the whole point of it is obviously to make people move out of position very much like the Zerbi used to do they used to stand and wait wait wait wait wait and then they pop it off and that means there's a free man particularly if they're marking like man to man

Can I ask you about that? To answer your question, Gary? No, I was going to go back into it. Whatever happened to shifting the ball? Well, they do that. For us at Celtic, that is how we play. We try and shift the ball all the time. We try and get everyone moving all the time. But that's just like Chelsea do as well. They try that thing as well where they play off the six out to the centre half that moves up. And it's a style of play.

Whether it's the right or wrong, that's not for me to judge, but that's what the manager's asking them to do. And particularly with that example, when we were doing our preparation for Villa, that was very much a part of the preparation, is the second that you do jump...

then he'll knock it off. Either he'll knock it into the six, he'll pass it out, and that's how they want to build their game. It's coming into the game loads, hasn't it? We did it at Manchester City, but I prefer the ball speed because I think as midfielders, you're always just receiving for a pop-off or whatever, but I think the ball speed would help you as a midfielder. But it is something that's coming to the game, isn't it? I think the goalkeeping stuff in terms of play, goalkeeping has to be good on the ball. This has been in football for 10 years, hasn't it? Probably going back

to Pep when he really did it so I think it's shifted a little bit more and I don't know if you've noticed this in the last year or so the game has become a man to man game where basically when people press it's just man to man all over the pitch so forget your system when a goalkeeper's got the ball or someone's playing in the back and everyone's just moving whether that's the influence of Atalanta in the last couple of years or teams everyone playing off in the back

The goalkeeper now is the spare man. And I always go back to the game Arsenal lost in the title run-in last season against Aston Villa. And it was Martinez. And we'd done a Champions League game. Arsenal played Porto. And the Porto goalkeeper come out and actually played like an outfield player. Not in the goal, passing it there. He actually went on the same line as back four. Martinez did the same. And I think teams now... Can either go long into your front player. We see Edison do that. But I think the role of the goalkeeper...

obviously you know a lot more than me it won't just be about being in goal and passing it it'll actually be about stepping out and actually becoming an outfield player because you can't go man for man your goalkeeper's down there so if your goalkeeper actually plays as an out I think that's probably the next move forward in terms of the goal becoming almost like an outfield player because man to man now is basically winning the ball high isn't it and then you're in trouble around the edge of the box is that something you've spoke about or thought about yourself? 100% I mean Manchester City's under 18s

They are now playing the most extreme version I've ever seen. So they play a version where the goalkeeper's over the halfway line sometimes. And I think they're testing it to see how it works. So last year at Anderlecht, the manager called me and we were playing a local derby and he goes, they're very, very man for man. So I'm going to play on the right of a three.

Yeah, yeah. Really? So you say, yep, so when we're in possession, I want you stepping out to the right and stepping up past the centre half. Where would that be on the right? How far away from the goal? So you're building up with a three. Outside the line of the box? Yeah. Outside the box? So the idea was obviously I'd be the spare man and we had a very fast winger and it would be the diag because I could hit a diag.

So the idea was to get the ball to me and then we're hitting diags. And it worked perfectly. We were 3-0 up at half time and we reverted back to just normal after that. But yeah, then what we did was it ended up more me being the centre. Yeah.

and the way Belgian football was was very tactical that we could do that and I was literally on the line with but again that's something you've really got to get used to but that comes now with training you say you used to walk past the keepers that's not a thing anymore you know we'll do we'll do our warm ups and stuff like that and obviously a little bit but we're in every possession now we're in all of that now because not just for ourselves but the

the players you've got to be confident you've got to be confident if you give me the ball bouncing at that I can deal with it you know what I mean so it is changing this Valencia story I've heard this a million times so I go out first training session at Valencia

and I walk out and put the I think where are the fucking goalkeepers because the goalkeepers usually go out and basically they're first out they do all their sort of warming up stuff they're diving around and then they come and join in later diving around that's all they do diving around and what's he called the goalkeeper coach was it Ocho Ocho Ocho Ocho I said where the fuck's Ocho

He's probably saying, where am I? But basically, the goalkeepers come out at the same time. They join in the boxes, then join in the little 4v4 possession, and they say, no, no, the goalkeepers are part of your session. We do our goalkeeping bit at the end. I was like...

And it makes sense, actually, the way in which goalkeepers have been asked to play. And that's the first time I'd ever seen that. Yeah, but when they joined in years ago, Gary, they were rubbish, weren't they? The goalkeepers would come in the box and they'd be like, we're glad when he gets up. But nowadays, as you said, goalkeepers are, they're like kicking the property like all few players. And you wouldn't see a goalkeeper go, you wouldn't...

Spot the goalkeeper in the box and you go, listen, he's as comfortable as the others in the box. Yeah. Have you ever been put in a position where you felt uncomfortable being asked to do something on the ball? Probably that one, were you not? No, I loved it. I loved it. It was something new, you know. Was that the first time they'd actually done it as well? Yeah. That was the first time they'd done it. We didn't even do it in training. Wow. Did you not even practice it? That's why it was 3-0. It was after the game. Sorry, it was after training. He called me and said, this is what we're going to do. Wow, that's incredible that you did that. But I genuinely...

It's one of those, I love trying new things. I was always, as a kid, I was always watching different players, different keepers and trying to see what would work for me. I used to watch Oliver Kahn and Casillas and Buffon and see, right, what do they do? Can I use that in my game? And always trying to learn. And this was just a progression, right? Okay, so this is something new. Let's try this. I know, it's brilliant. These conversations again, the way it's moved. But you still have a chat with other goalkeepers going,

But remember, the bottom line is... You've got to save the ball. You've got to save the ball. Yeah, sure. Does it not obviously go back to that? It does, but I think...

For me, definitely, you've got to be a good goalie. But that's almost a given now. Particularly if you're at the top level. In the Premier League, everyone's a good goalie and they have to be. Now is the extras. What else can you bring to the table? Because we can all save shots and we should all be able to deal with these things. And that's just standard now. Now it's what else can you bring? And Edison took it to the next level. Neuer in 2014 with the sweeper, he took it to the next level. Every now and then, someone comes along and changes the game

And then all of a sudden that becomes the norm, you know? And now... Like, as you said about... You said he was going to be a 14-year-old. I've been told now academies, they're looking at young players who are all feeling going, we don't think you're going to make it. Put you in goal. Folks, I'm being a goalkeeper. Yeah, we know you're not a goalkeeper, but goalkeeping, the way it's going, it's about being good on your feet. Can you imagine having a big striker? Yeah. Like a Jill Scott. If you've got a Jill Scott, you just put Jill in goal now. This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Skybest.

If you want to know more about the game's greatest characters, matches that changed football forever and the stories behind the bribes, the bans and the on-pitch battles, listen to It Was What It Was. It's the Overlaps Football History podcast presented by two of the world's best football journalists, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper. Each week we dive deep into the key moments in football history that have shaped the game as we know it.

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you know, how important the goalkeeper is on the ball? Is it almost you've got to get the football inside first and then can we make him a goalkeeper? Because I've heard that before. I hope not. I hope that they're in goal because one, they love being in goal because like I said, you have to love that pressure. That's the main thing. If you can deal with that pressure, you're already a long way. But,

No, I think I agree with you in the sense that at the end of the day, you've got to stop the ball going in the net. That is your first priority. And then, like I said, then it's what else can you bring to the table. But would you say the top clubs now are looking at goalkeepers? Yeah, the priority is... But if they're not great with your feet, they're like, he's not for us. That's the other pressure on a goalkeeper. Like Pep obviously done it when he first went in. He says, listen, you might be decent, but if you can't pass it, you're gone. Yeah. I think it is. Again, I think football...

goes in cycles as well. You look at, you went, look at that like set pieces now. Everyone's just loading it in the box whereas like 10 years ago everyone had to pass it. I think the same with goalkeepers, you know, it was,

at least it cost me at least one move, my height, you know, it had, you had to be height, you had to be tall and you had to, you know, when I was coming through the academy is how far can you kick it? And how, how tall are you? That was kind of the, the, the main, the first thing they looked at as a keeper. And I was always deemed too small. I was always too small to be a keeper and, or to be a top keeper or whatever. But, but,

But then it goes in circles. You look at now, keepers are just built different. And it'll come back round because of the man-man thing. We're now seeing the ball over the top again. Kasper, you've done that brilliant. The big plus for Leicester was your distribution at Leicester. And that was going long, wasn't it? It was. It was playing to your strengths. And like I say, particularly now, when the man-man is as much as it is, when you're passing into feet...

you know as a midfielder you're getting pressured if I'm passing into the six he's getting that's got to be perfect otherwise they're on you so now when everyone's man-man the space is in behind so if you can do counter-move and City are brilliant at it with Edison's we saw it the other day we saw it exactly I prefer Edison a lot more over Edison but

But I remember you speaking to your dad and your dad said he preferred Edison over Edison. So where would you stand on that sort of debate? I think they're both very good. For me, I've always had a soft spot for Edison because...

I think he changed the game. He changed the game in terms of, like Neuer could play out from the back and all that, but Edison was almost, it was almost poetry watching it. It was so, and I remember playing against him for Leicester. It was the one team we didn't press.

Because if you press Edison, he'd just find David Silva or he'd find De Bruyne and he'd play these ridiculous... He was an off-field player, wasn't he? I think he was. He was a left-back when he started. I still judge a goalkeeper by two or three things that for me I think will either win a team in the league or not win a team in the league. And for me, it's one-on-one.

they'll become a point in a season where there's a big one-on-one. I always think Alisson has got a great chance of saving a one-on-one. I always think catching it under pressure, particularly in big moments in the game which you feel the team's under pressure. And then the other one is holding shots or parrying them well away from goal. They're the three things I always think about. That's everything, Gary. LAUGHTER

I'm removing shot stopping. I'm removing actually kicking. I'm only serious. I'm removing the kicking element of it. I genuinely don't... Son against City. Son against City. Remember, one v one. Yeah, huge moment. Yeah, but that was the other kid. Of course, yeah. He'd just come off the bench. My point is that's why I just slightly prefer Alisson because I always feel like, for me, just... Alisson's a better kicker of a ball, obviously. I just think in the big moments of one v one. I get that. What I counter that with is...

The way City... OK, take this season away maybe, but the way City have been able to press has been because any ball over the top... Yeah, he's out. He's out. So he's actually stopped the one-on-one before it's even happened. Yeah, yeah. And I think when you talk about adding something to the team, when they've been at their best and they're pressing... Trust me, I've been on the end of a few of these. You know, you feel suffocated. And even with us, our out ball was Vardy a lot of the time.

Couldn't do it. He's always there. Because Edison would just be standing, he'd chest it down, he'd pass it. And so actually negating the actual one-on-one, it wouldn't happen a lot. And that's why, for me, Edison just brought something slightly different in the sense that actually he didn't even need to keep goals sometimes because he'd stop at source. And because he was so brave in his starting position and so high, it meant that he could press like...

He's brave in hitting people, isn't he, as well? Oh, he is. I've seen him a few times. He knows he's going to get hurt. Very much so. I think people always think it's just a given. Come out, take the ball and wipe everyone out. But that must be difficult if you've got, like, Haaland, like... Do you know what I mean? It's like a given, isn't it? Again, that...

I would say that's one of the little old school things that is said, you just come and take it, but you can't do that anymore. Yeah. That's a penalty now. I told you, I worked with Seamus McDonagh years ago with Ireland. I said this many times before and I used to hear him speaking to the goalkeeper before games and he would obviously say to him, when you come, you come with violence. I was like, oh, I love that. I love that. You're a goalkeeper. On crosses, not just a moment. Come and hit people. It must be great for a goalkeeper as well. When you can use your hands. Yeah.

And take the ball and also, I'm going to take somebody out here. Yeah, but I think I completely agree with you because I am from that generation as well and I do, you know, as weird as it is, I do love a good collision sometimes but I just think now with VAR, you've got to be so much more careful because...

Now it's just perception. Is that violent conduct? Is he, you know, it's really on the day. I remember... But usually the goalkeepers get away. We've seen the United keeper get away a few times, hasn't he? He's missed time. Yeah, but again, I'll counter that from the goalkeeper's perspective. A lot of the time, for example, if a striker's going in and he gets just clipped,

there's contact, that's a penalty. But then that's got to be the work the other way. Any contact on the keeper, that's a free kick then because any contact, particularly on the arms or any nudge when you're off balance, that's got to be a free kick then. If contact's enough for a penalty, then contact's enough for a free kick for the keeper. It's got to work both ways in my opinion because when you are particularly... I remember I watched the Liverpool game and your commentary on...

on Alisson he punched one from a corner and he held the next one but the reason he's punched the first one is because he's not had any shout from behind him he doesn't know what's behind him so if he's deemed in his head if he's catching that if he gets clattered he's falling in you know onto here

But you're not guaranteed, particularly in the Premier League, you're not guaranteed a free kick. Now I've gone and played in Europe. If anyone touches you, it's a free kick. But that's not the way... Does that drive you mad when you're listening to jokes like, not just Gary, people obviously pondered, talking about goalkeepers, because it is a special position. You're going...

Like the usual one, people shouldn't be beating it in airport. It's all a bit ridiculous. Obviously, you can be. You should have caught that. No, but there are certain things. I thought it was a comfortable catch for him, that first one. And to be fair, he didn't have anyone near him. To be fair, whether he knew where he was or whether someone didn't shout at him, I don't know, because obviously I'm miles away. But the second one, he did catch, to be fair. I think there is an element sometimes...

because a throwaway comment can be quite, it can sound quite disrespectful to, because there's a lot of work that goes into these things. But I think particularly you said the near post one. Well, does that kind of indicate, well, it's okay to be beaten at the far post? No, it's not. It's not okay to be beaten at the far post. Everyone says it with the near post. But it's not a thing because it's an angle thing. So if you get beaten at your near post, but if you turn that into the middle of the goal and he gets beat there, then no one says a word. Yeah.

But then that also indicates that, OK, if he curls it round me, then that's all right. I'll let that in. No, sorry. It's not. I'll try and be back as a goalkeeper with the wall. Who was it the weekend? Pickford. The wall's there. And the dude at me... And then he still gambled. Oh, that can't happen. That can't happen. There is a way to concede goals for a goalkeeper. You

sometimes if it goes into the near post, it looks awful. You're telling him that. No, no. I get that. I get that. From a commentary perspective, like Pickford won on Saturday, you can't concede that because it's on your side. That's what I'm saying, Chur. So my point is, a near post one. There are certain things, but what I'm saying is, every goal is different. Don't you two start. I just think that you can't go, like, as a rule of thumb, you can't get beat in your near post. You can't, I just don't think you can say that because if the ball goes past you here at,

95 miles an hour.

That's tough. But it's near post, then it's your fault. But if it does exactly the same there, it's the same goal. It's the same outcome. It doesn't make a difference whether it's near post or fault. But the wall, what about the wall one? Is there a thing with goalkeepers where you go, when lads go through set pieces and the wall is there for a reason, but keepers, I hate when they do this. I get that. But I think that's bravery as well of actually just staying there. Because I think it's one of them. Okay, if you get it over the wall...

Sometimes you've got to hold your hat up and say, OK, fine, fair enough. Particularly if you've got the man down and everyone's jumping. If you can still get it over the wall, then well done. I do agree that you've got to really try and protect your side of the goal. That's the whole point of it. But the same goes within the game. You've got to have these...

you've got the best people I've ever seen is Bayern Munich like with Neuer and particularly when David Alaba was playing there is how they mark on one-on-ones or how they mark on shots so if you remember the Champions League a couple of weeks ago

They actually let one of the, I think it was Slovan Bratislava players go in one-on-one with Neuer and not go and cover. That's a very clear strategy because they don't want the tapping. So you have to have these kind of agreements within the team that this is how we do it. So particularly on the free kicks, there'll be an agreement in place. This is how we do it. I don't know what the agreement is at Everton or whatever it is. It's different at every single club. But...

yeah I think generally that is the consensus is that the reason you have a wall is that you minimise the area that they can hit and you cover the area that you can cover this episode of stick to football is brought to you by Skybest I just want to ask about Leicester because you know you've been speaking about like City and how hard it is to play against them and you're talking about De Bruyne and Silva and all those players remember that the game you beat them 3-1

What was the dressing room like when you went in that dressing room? Because I just watched Liverpool beat City and it's not the same city, but there seemed to be a resignation that this was a big one for us. What was it like in the dressing room? Because I remember watching that game saying, that's it, it's over, Leicester have done it. And then I think you went and beat Man United 1-0 at home and

Morgan scored I think he won it Spurs one away was it one one away he scored he won it Spurs as well I think he'd beat them what was it like after that City that was amazing that's good I started to think Leicester can do it no we I think I think we were kind of we went we went to Swansea away and beaten 3-0

And that meant we'd be top at Christmas. And we went on our Christmas do after. And I remember we sat on the bus afterwards and like, lads, this is happening. Yeah, seriously? This is happening. Jesus, how much strength did you have? No, go on, Cass. Do you know what the thing was? You're saying it that early? Yeah. Oh, wow. Why? I thought you'd fall away in January, February. Do you know what it was? It was the season before Christmas.

We were dead and buried. Yes. We were 10 points off safety with 10 games to go. And it was as if you're trying to get a key into this lock and nothing's working. And then all of a sudden you get the right one and you turn the key. Right. We found a way to win. We found a way to win. And then you get one win that turned into two, that turned into three. I think we won eight out of 10 and drew one loss to Chelsea who became champions. Right. And that momentum, that belief just carried over. It just carried over. And...

we'd found this way to win and we to be fair we actually started the season scored a lot of goals but we didn't keep a clean sheet for the first 10 games but then we started like being solid at the back as well and then I don't know there was just what was it at the back it was Simpson and Morgan and yeah so we had Simpson yeah Simpson, Morgan, Huth and Fuchs yeah and then we had Marcin Wasilewski to come in if we were going to go to a three and then it was Danny Drinkwater and Catt

Kante. Drinking Kante, Mahrez, Albrighton. Or Kazaki. Kasper, who's the most important player in that team from an outfield perspective? Is it Mahrez? Is it Kante? Is it Vardy? I thought scorer. Who's the most important player? I think it's... Mahrez is good. I think the spine because who's the player that you'd have missed most if you had to take him out of the running? That would have been...

Mahrez? Jamie? No, well, yeah. Kante? I was going to say Kasper. If you take Vardy out, we're struggling. If you take Kante out, you are. Mahrez, if you take Huth or Morgan out... But we're talking about here at Arsenal losing Saka or losing Saliba. No, we always talk about a player losing and all of a sudden they can't win the league. Who would have been that player for you? It would have been N'Golo, I think. N'Golo was...

The glue. He was the glue. Even talking about that Swansea guy, I remember with 3-0 up and he wins the ball back down near our left-hand corner. And within 30 seconds, he's up in the right-hand corner. And thinking that that's just ridiculous. His engine was ridiculous. It was like having an extra player. And the reason I remember that one goal against Everton is because it's the first tackle I remember him missing. He missed the tackle and it was like...

The reaction in the stadium was like, what? What's going on? His numbers were incredible when you've seen what he ran in a game. Do you think that goes from having a good dressing room like everybody doing one and a half jobs? That's what it looked like when you're watching that season. They were willing to run. Has any team never won anything when it was a good dressing room? I know everyone says that. I think people always talk about team spirit or dressing room. You don't.

Because you win creates the great... It's not like, oh, we've got a great dressing room, now we win. It's about winning. You win, and then it becomes like, oh, we have this, now you... Because when you win, everyone goes for the baby, everyone comes in on a Monday morning, everyone's in a good mood. When you get in peace, everyone's like... I think it's the winning that actually creates... We had a good dressing room, but we were still fighting. You're still fighting. I don't think everybody does have a good dressing room. Not everyone, but I think... I think the winning teams do, 100%. Exactly.

Because they win. I actually think we were slightly different in the sense that we had quite a set core and we were a different club. We always joke we were the best pub team in the world because we genuinely were. No, but the thing about you said everyone goes for a drink. We'd still do that when we lost. And it was...

We weren't like you guys. There wasn't the fighting. That wasn't us. We were more... Did you have a fight with them? Just arguing with each other? No, but it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that. It was the sense of we'd been brought together and we had this really, really good group of players who everyone had a point to prove. But then we also had an owner who was so different to anything I've ever experienced and probably ever will experience that

But just did things right. But he was the catalyst for all of this. Win or lose, you know, we were having a good time. Mm-hmm.

That was what it was about. Going out and having... Yeah, but he would organise the things. He'd take us out for dinners. And he'd organise these things. He'd make sure that regardless if we win or lost, that we'd still finish the evening properly. Happily and together. So we move on. He always said, I don't... He never demanded us to win. He just demanded we give our best. If we've given our best...

That's all he, that's what he said. That's all I can ask for. And he went above and beyond for every single player. He looked after every single player, but he, more than anything, he drove the collective.

He drove the collective. There was always an event. There was always something. And it was always these amazing things that you'd never get to do. You know, meeting royalty at polo matches. He'd take us to these things because his son played polo. Sounds like an nightmare. But it wasn't. Trust me, you'd have loved it. You're probably right. When you look after like that, you want to then repair them on the pitch, don't you? Because there was not like...

if your family went on holiday, you know, if they were going to Thailand, he'd make sure they were looked after. It doesn't matter who you were. A few quids. No, you just look after everyone. And that was, that just meant that everyone was willing to go that extra mile. That's what's really interesting because that is very, very much like maybe, I hear sort of like international players that play at Real Madrid or at say,

to say that they know the owner. In English football, it's very unusual. I mean, I never knew it that basically the players would have that relationship with the owner. I think Chelsea had a little bit of it with Abramovich. It's an unusual model in England. Don't mention there Claudio Ranieri, who's the man in between. Where does he sit in all this? Well, you've got to remember, in the whole ownership scheme, there was a lot of different managers. So when I came in, it was Sven. And then Nigel Pearson. Nigel Pearson was the one who...

With Sven, we were a bit up and down. Obviously, he brought in a lot of players and he was a massive name to get for Leicester. But Neitzel was kind of the guy who put the foundations. He kind of stripped everything back to the basics, right? What are we actually here for? We're here to win. How do we do that? We get the right people. So he had Steve Walsh and Craig Shakespeare. Mike Stowell. Get these right people in as a coaching group. And I remember they...

they really did their homework on the players so with Riyad for example Steve Walsh would go he'd interview his former teachers and things like that just to is he the right character to bring into this group and they did a lot of homework with that and that's why I say that core group was really important and obviously Claudio came in then we had Claude Puel and then Brendan came in and and

the foundations were laid at the start by Nigel. And that team and that club was built on people, on characters. And obviously the older we got, people started falling away, you know, because of age, people left, you know, and it gradually became more and more difficult to keep those standards that were there. But it's,

Then you got someone like Brendan that came in and he elevated our standards to something different. We played better football, well, probably more attractive football than maybe we did under Claudio. But I think the whole thing about the ownership was it was so personable. You know, it was unique in that sense.

And you never felt you owed them anything. They'd do anything for you, but you didn't owe them anything other than giving your best. I think what he's getting at is, I think we were all very critical at the time when Ranieri went. From the outside looking in, it felt like it was player power at Leicester. That's what it basically was. I think there was a game when Ranieri went and then you beat Liverpool. I'm sure it was Liverpool on a Monday night football. There was this feeling from outside of Leicester that Ranieri had been harshly treated badly.

Do you think this is the guy who's won the title and then Leicester I think he was probably fighting relegation at the bottom half of the table so what I'm saying was that fair what was the communication between the ownership have you got such a good relationship with them as players? No I think we were informed we were just informed that that was the direction it was going to go and

I think we won six in a row after or five in a row after. What does that say? Well, we changed our... For some reason, we changed our shape. We changed our style of play. From the season before? Yeah, from the season before, yeah. And it just didn't work for us. Like I said, we're champions. We're fighting relegation. There's something wrong there. And...

whatever the perception is on the outside, it kind of is. That's not kind of on us. The decision was made and it was vindicated in the sense that we went and won. We appointed Craig Shakespeare. And the role he played, I want to give him a special mention just in the championship season, winning the championship and the Premier League. Like, Shakey's...

no longer with us he was an incredible man and he I've never seen a more I've probably never seen a more respected man in football a more loved man in football because not only did he know his shit like he knew his stuff

He was an incredibly good coach. He was very, very switched on tackling. He was one of those, he wouldn't have any problem telling you if you weren't doing it. But also, he had this incredible human side of him as well. And he was always kind of between the players and the coach, whoever the coach was, because he survived quite a few coaches. You know, and he...

Yeah, he has a massive, massive part of why Leicester became what Leicester became, for sure. I used to do a role for your dad, for the team, to be fair, at United. So I was the man who stood in front of your dad, basically, when the player would go and stand on the goalkeeper.

and he'd always have me stand between him and the player. So I had to basically mark the... So he was behind me, and I'd mark him like that. I'd mark him like that, and my job was to keep him away from blocking your goalkeeper. When Edwin van der Sar came in, he was the opposite. He would have me stood this side, and I used to think, what a waste of time that is, because now he can just go and block the goalkeeper. Where are you on that? Where are you on that? Erm...

Again, I've actually never really involved myself that much in set pieces in terms of what roles... Even on that role? No, because at the end of the day, my focus is solely on the ball. The reason my dad had that was obviously because he was a very dominant keeper in the air. And he came out. And he came out and was a part of the aerial play. That's not a big part of my game. And that's not really... I think...

Courtois, probably Neuer, the only two in the world right now that are seriously dominant in the air. It's not a big part of the game anymore in that sense. I think when you go to, depending on whatever you're doing, zonal or man-to-man, I think man-to-man, it makes more sense to be on the inside to keep him away from the keeper.

But if you're zonal, it's all about looking at the ball and going and attacking the ball, which makes more sense for you to be on the outside so you can go and attack the ball. But I think as a goalkeeper, I'm not a massive fan of zonal because it just creates more congestion for me to have to come into. So you're man-to-man at Celtic at the moment, are you? Yeah, we're man-to-man at the moment. It gives me more space to work with.

Whereas if you've got that ring of players around you, you're coming into double traffic every single time. And that just means, I think, that the keeper stays more within his little area rather than coming out. And it depends on players as well. If you've got Van Dijk...

Being able to head everything away, you know, that makes a big difference. But it depends very much, I think, on the system that you're, the way you're marking up. Casper, you're 38 years of age. Really? Cas, you look well. Are you thinking that I'm, there's no, I'm not retiring anytime soon. Are you thinking I've got another two or three years left in me? Do you know, I've never, I've never thought in limitations. You've not thought about retirement at all yet? Because... What are you going to do after retirement? Anything?

Is that because God's people's going longer, Cass? No, no, no. I've never been a kind of guy to think in limitations. I think if I was thinking in limitations, I'd live into the whole living in the shadow of someone and maybe not achieving the things I wanted to. So I've always lived in the thought that anything's possible. But I've also been lucky in the sense that I've had a dad that's gone through this. And I know...

I don't know how you guys feel. You've obviously all retired. I don't know. Is there a better job out there than being a footballer? No. No. I was struggling at the end with injuries. I felt like I had to retire. Have you enjoyed anything as much as you did before? I've enjoyed my post-football career, yeah. If someone could give you back your best years physically, would you go back to it?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Exactly, that's what I mean. So while I'm physically able, I know there's not something better waiting for me right now. But what I do now is I appreciate it more than ever. I've heard you say a few times about having a foreign adventure. I had that.

I obviously didn't go to one of the top clubs. If I could go back, I'd never have done that. I'd never leave the Premier League. The Premier League is the be all and end all. It is the best without any shadow of a doubt. And it just means now I've tried that. That's the lesson I've taken from that is that

The British game, I mean the Scottish game, but the whole British game, that's unique. And I don't want to leave that. I don't want to leave that at all, if I can. So you wouldn't go to America or to anywhere else to play it? I feel I've tried that now. It's almost like you're on the outside looking in, the type of thing when you go to another league. 100%. I think you're in this bubble as a Premier League player and you don't actually realise how big it is. And I think going abroad...

As much as there's lots of learning within it, if I could go back, I'd never do it. I didn't want to leave to start off with, but the situation was what it was. But I think the British game is what I grew up in, and I love the mentality of having to win every single game. Did you get a taste of it going to Villa with Celtic a little bit? Was that nice to get back into that? Well, do you know what? It was one of those things thinking...

It's a weird one because potentially that could be my last ever game on British soil, or on English soil at least. But what it does is I appreciate every game now a lot more than ever. And I love it. I absolutely love it. We've now had a schedule where we've played every three days. And we're going to a schedule now where we're probably going to play week into week end.

I'd rather just I just want to play I just want to play and obviously as a keeper I'm not putting the same physical output as the outfielders are so it's maybe a little bit different for me but but how long have you got Celtic have you got another year left yeah I've got another year after this but again I think when you get to that age you just play it by ear yeah you're just playing it by ear and not taking anything for granted because you know as well as anyone an injury could finish it all you know so I think you

You probably feel Irish a bit as well, don't you? The Celtic connections. Definitely. Like I say, I love football. I've always loved football. And going away from England really reaffirmed my fact that this is where I want to be. The opportunity of going to Celtic was a unique one for me because...

You've played for clubs where it's expected to win. I've never really played for those clubs where it's expected. So going to Celtic now, that pressure that if you don't win, if you just draw, it's a catastrophe. But also I think it's elevated my game because now it's not just about winning, it's about being perfect.

Now we don't have to just win. We have to do it perfectly. So every action I do now, every bit of handling, every pass, everything has to be perfect now. It's not just about winning. The Rangers games, you must have enjoyed that experience. Loved them. It was cool, isn't it? Loved it. It's an incredible experience. And like I say, now there's different things that motivate me. Now it is about winning and winning well and how much can we win, you know? And...

The Champions League this season was an incredible experience. It was a good effort, yeah. We competed. Yeah, we competed. I think that was nice. But again, for my mentality, I wanted to win. And that was tough. That was a tough kind of moment. But I think you go through tough periods in your career and you go through great periods in your career. And while you're still physically able, then...

you know, why not, why not continue? And is the body okay? Like if you've got three games a week, do you have to look after yourself a bit more than the younger lads or are you okay? I think, I think personally that experience is the greatest gift you can have if you're physically still able because yeah, I'll train differently than when I was 20, of course I will. Yeah.

But also, I spend a lot of time, you know, doing the ice baths, doing the saunas and all these other things that you have to do. Gary thinks the ice baths is the key. Ice baths. Yeah, sauna's mine. The sauna is mine. The sauna is, like, that is, if anybody ever asks where I am in the training ground, they just need to look in the sauna. Final question. Pundit or coach?

Both, I think. Exactly. I think I'd try both. I'm doing my badges and the actual coaching element on the pitch, I love. I love that part. That's really enjoyable. Yeah.

And I enjoy doing things like this as well. So I think just kind of see. We'll be taking our jobs the next couple of years. I'll be joining you. He's got a good look for TV. I don't know. I think you want to just try and do a bit of everything and see what kind of life. I don't know what will be the future. I think right now I just want to stay in the now because I don't want to look too far ahead because...

I know the type of person I am, I'll be sitting in ten years' time and think, why didn't I just enjoy it a bit more? You're too wise for this show, isn't it? Casper, thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. Brilliant. Thank you. Nice one, Cas.

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