What a season it’s shaping up to be.
As we head into the final strait of what has been a fascinating campaign, the heroes and villains of the piece become clearer and clearer. The football world is a fickle one and contrasting fortunes of the winners and losers is stark.
Whilst Claudio Ranieri was once mocked as an also-ran ‘tinkerman’, he is now revered as the mastermind behind Leicester City’s remarkable title charge. Then there’s a manager of Louis van Gaal’s standing whose legacy is under threat due to his relative failure at Old Trafford.
We caught up with always engaging Robbie Savage to chew the fat about his two former clubs and more…
Leicester City are flying at the moment. Whether or not they manage to hold on to top spot, Champions League football is pretty much guaranteed. How do you think they’ll fare against Europe’s finest?
Well if they win the Premier League, they’ll have proved themselves the best team in England. If Man City are capable of reaching the quarter-finals of this year’s competition, why can’t Leicester do well?
What could work in their favour is that they’ll be an unknown quantity. I think they could do well because they’ve got genuine pace in the side and that’s a huge asset. But a lot depends on who they bring in.
Are you excited about the calibre of player that Leicester could now potentially attract, and how that could impact upon the club in the general?
If they go for big name players, there’s a danger that it could affect the dressing room. Team spirit is such a key factor in this Leicester side. These are the players that have got them into the Champions League, and if you suddenly add a player on £150,000 a week, it can have an adverse effect.
It’s vital that they keep a hold of Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante. Of course Jamie Vardy has been key with his goals, but he’s pushing 30 now and, for me, it’s far more crucial that Mahrez and Kante remain at the club.
Moving onto another one of your former clubs, there’s plenty of speculation about Louis van Gaal’s future at Man United. Do you think his card is marked?
Well it’s worth remembering that United still have a chance of finishing in the top four and winning the FA Cup, and if that was to happen, I honestly believe Van Gaal may yet see out his contract. Obviously if they don’t win the cup and they finish outside the Champions League places, a change has to be made.
I don’t like managers being sacked at all, but you’ve got to factor in the style of play and the lack of progress. Last season, top four was the target and Van Gaal fulfilled his remit. This season, they’re in danger of falling short of that.
Who would be your favourite to replace him were he to get the chop?
I look at Ryan Giggs. People say, well he hasn’t got the experience, but he knows that club inside out. Of course another option is obviously Jose Mourinho.
If you want a short-term impact with the closest to a guarantee of quick silverware, you’ve got to go for Mourinho. But if you want longevity, perhaps Giggs is the best bet.
How many of the current Man United squad would you describe as truly world-class?
The term ‘world-class’ is hard to define. If Messi/Ronaldo is your measure of world-class, then there’s no one close. But if you’re looking at the players just below that level – the likes of Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez and Neymar – then United have only one – David de Gea.
I think Anthony Martial may has the potential to be world-class one day, but along with De Gea, that’s it. It could be argued that both Bastian Schweinsteiger and Wayne Rooney were world-class, but in that Aguero, Suarez, Neymar class, currently it’s only the goalkeeper.
Both in your football career and your punditry role, can you give us the name of a peer that you hugely respect and admire?
As Gary Neville is no longer a pundit, I’d say the best around at the present time is Rio Ferdinand.
In terms of fellow pros during my playing career, I’d go for Tugay Kerimoglu. He was in his late 30s when I was with him at Blackburn Rovers, and it was incredible to watch him train and play to such a high standard at that stage in his career.
You were a part of the Heinz Big Soup campaign to ‘fill up’ Accrington Stanley’s ground, how much of a difference do you think a full stadium makes to players at that level?
I think it’s massive, the statistics show that. In the lower leagues, stadiums are often only 25% full. I was quite fortunate during my time at Crewe Alexandra, as there was a relatively small capacity and we were doing quite well, so the ground was always quite full.
I go and watch my team Wrexham in the National League, and they get crowds of around 3,000 people in a 15,000 capacity ground. There’s nothing worse as a player than to run out to a stadium with empty spaces in the stands.
So I think this a fantastic initiative from Heinz Big Soup to try and fill up the stadium – and it will definitely help the players.
Do you think that a large attendance can also help the opposition players and rival fans get up for a game?
Definitely. Speaking on a personal basis, I used to get hammered by rival fans and the more they had a go, the better I tended to play. The away fans will try and out-sing the home fans and vice-versa, and that can only make for a better atmosphere and help the players perform better.
What do you make of the recent announcement that Premier League clubs will cap the price of away tickets to £30?
The £30 cap is a good start, but personally I’d like to see it even lower than that. If there’s a family of four going to a game, that’s still a very expensive day out. It’s a positive move in the right direction but I’d like to see the cost brought down even further.
Finally, would you be so kind as to indulge us in a quick-fire round?
Sure – go ahead!
Red sauce or brown sauce? Heinz Big Soup! Brown sauce.
Salad or chips? Chips.
De Niro or Pacino? Robert de Niro.
London or Cardiff? As what? [You can’t clarify, just one word] London.
Manchester or Birmingham? Manchester
Gareth Bale or Ryan Giggs? Ooh! [Long pause] Ryan Giggs.
Roy Keane or Robbie Savage? Ha! Roy Keane!
Radio or TV? Oof! Both great for different reasons.
Martin O’Neill or Claudio Ranieri? Martin O’Neill.
Emile Heskey or Jamie Vardy? [Pause] For the story, it’s gotta be Jamie Vardy.
Robbie Savage and Heinz Big Soup helped fill up the stands at Accrington Stanley FC for their match against Wycombe. Heinz Big Soup, which encourages fans to ‘Go Big or Go Hungry’ gave away match tickets and served up bowls of Big Soup to keep supporters feeling full during the match.
