Rio Ferdinand Presents

The boys get back together to analyse Arsenal’s season so far as well as looking ahead to what they could achieve come the end of the campaign.They analyse the biggest strengths of Mikel Arteta's side and pose the question about what the manager’s future looks like should he fail to win the league.Rio and Joel discuss the importance of Declan Rice for both club and country and Rio names him as the second most influential player in both the Premier League and in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.Joel and Rio make their predictions for the remainder of the season and there’s two areas that they earmark for improvement - specifically from Arteta - the inclusion of youth players and allowing players to play with more risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst everyone else is tucking into the final chocolates and leftover turkey, Rio, Ste and Joel review Manchester United’s season so far. They analyse the biggest weakness of Amorim’s side and specifically praise the duo of Senne Lammens and Matthijs De Ligt.When discussing the priorities for the January transfer window, Rio compares Kobbie Mainoo to Gerard Pique as the England midfielder searches for more game time and how Benjamin Sesko plays an integral role for the team which often goes un-noticed and underrated.Ste and Rio make their predictions for the remainder of the season and there’s a debate around how successful Ruben Amorim has done relative to pre-season predictions and comparisons to the last campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a busy week for Ruben Amorim following Kobbie Mainoo’s brother protesting about the lack of playing time and/or opportunities to move away from the club and a defeat at Aston Villa, Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to dissect those points and the title race.Rio admits Kobbie is doing himself “a disservice” if he isn’t getting onto the manager asking how he can get into the team and discusses with Ste whether there is a way back for the England midfielder at Old Trafford.Morgan Rogers had two game defining “world class moments” and after one of the trio admit they don’t see what the fuss is all about, Rio breaks down the goals and analyses who and what should have done better.There’s some advice for (and a defence of) Leny Yoro, admission that some of the current squad “aren’t good enough” to cope with the defensive demands at Manchester United and a warning for Bukayo Saka who said that Arsenal were “in control” of the title race as they spend Christmas at the top of the table. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rio heads to Carrington for an unmissable sit-down with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes — his most honest interview yet.For the first time, Bruno lifts the lid on the truth behind his Manchester United loyalty, revealing two genuine chances he had to leave, why he stayed, and how modern players’ loyalty is judged differently compared to legends like Francesco Totti, Ryan Giggs and Paolo Maldini.Bruno also breaks down the big tactical shift in his game this season — how playing deeper has changed his decision-making, the challenges for him and Kobbie Mainoo who play in that role what the manager demands from him in the No.8 position, and how Italian football influenced his game.He gives rare insight into United’s dressing room dynamics, analysing his teammates and explaining the incredible level of detail he computes on the pitch to ensure he delivers the perfect pass depending on which forward he’s feeding.Bruno also addresses Roy Keane’s criticism and how he really feels about it, the private conversations referees have had with him about body languag and discussions with managers Ruben Amorim and Erik Ten Hag about the level of pressure he puts on himself and how it sometimes negatively affects the team’s structure.And in classic Rio Meets style, Bruno opens up about the personalities behind the scenes — the biggest jokers in the squad, what really happens when someone steps out of line, and how he handles moments as captain that fans never get to see. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rio is joined by Joel and Ste after a visit to the Manchester United training ground where he teases the potential release of a Rio Meets episode with one of the players.After spending time with the squad, the manager and the coaching staff, Rio reports on what he saw and how positive the environment was.Ste challenges Rio after he disagreed with Amorim’s comments about younger players struggling and Rio reveals how players respond to pundits who return to their former club after they’ve criticised performances.There’s detailed analysis of Gyokeres’s struggles and Rio gives Joel three reasons why the Swedish striker is struggling to adapt since his move from Portugal and there’s special praise reserved for Morgan Rogers who fired Aston Villa into the title race.Whilst giving Rogers his flowers, Rio and Ste look at how the number 10 selection is shaping up for Thomas Tuchel and pick out the one player who could become the England manager’s “biggest headache”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.