OlanTekkers is the failed footballer, but he still knows ball. Or does he?

This week Mourinho is back in El Clásico after 13 years, and of course there was drama. Real Madrid got the job done despite having just 38% possession, and 10 shots to Barcelona’s 18. Mbappe the dictator took his El Clásico tally to eight goals in seven games. We get into Mourinho’s winning return, the tackle he reckons deserved a red, and why ref cam is the one thing modern football has given us that's good.

Then it’s over to the Premier League, where Spurs finally decided to turn up against Chelsea, winning at Stamford Bridge for just the second time in their last 33 visits. Things are considerably worse at Manchester United: they're in 16th, one point above the relegation zone and winless in eight games in all competitions. Thirteen years and 10 managers after Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho still has the best points-per-game record of any permanent post-Fergie United boss. Maybe the Special One was right all along?

Plus, the A-League is absolutely humming with 19 goals across six games. Sydney FC dig deep for another win, the Wanderers put five past reigning champions Auckland, we ask whether pre-game tunnel interviews are a step too far, celebrate refs actually booking players for diving, and rewind to that infamous 2012 Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory Grand Final.

The Failed Footballer is an iHeart podcast. Watch, listen and discover more podcasts, playlists and live radio on the FREE iHeart App.

Olan may have failed as a footballer. So do 99.9 of players who try and make it, but how many of them can say they got a podcast out of it? Here you'll get unqualified takes from Olan, and expert commentary from football legends who actually made it. All the goals, all the drama, all the ammo for your group chat from football's biggest leagues around the world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The A-League is back, and OlanTekkers reckons anyone saying it’s dead clearly wasn’t at the Sydney Derby. The atmosphere was unreal, even if the football didn’t quite live up to it. Olan and Kat Haddad break down the opening round, the Sydney Derby stalemate, the chaos of the F3 Derby and why the derbies matter so much for the league.

Then it’s over to the Premier League and the mess at Manchester United. Is Michael Carrick really the man to turn things around, or are the problems much bigger than the manager? Later, Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Isabella Chidiac joins Olan to talk about her football journey, playing with boys growing up, earning a full US college scholarship worth $150k a year, balancing elite football with a pre-med degree, and why breaking into professional football as an international player isn’t as simple as being good enough.

She also opens up about returning to Australia, the financial realities of the women’s game, her Matildas dream and the motivation that keeps her chasing it.

In this episode:

00:00 The A-League is back

01:45 Sydney Derby review

04:58 The F3 Derby delivers

09:50 A-League Women kicks off

10:09 What’s gone wrong at Manchester United?

16:43 Should clubs give managers more time?

18:40 Isabella joins the pod

19:16 Starting out playing with the boys

22:10 Why Isabella chose US college football

23:56 The $88k-a-year full scholarship

24:31 Life as a student athlete in America

26:24 How good is US college football?

29:17 Trying to turn pro after college

31:29 Returning to Western Sydney

32:14 The financial reality of the A-League Women

33:18 Chasing a Matildas call-up

34:54 Australia vs America

38:49 Isabella’s advice to young footballers

40:57 Dealing with rejection and staying motivated

41:45 Ronaldo vs Messi

43:30 When should Ronaldo have retired?

44:32 Outro

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He was let go from an A-League team after playing in a Grand Final, literally told in the airport on the way home he no longer had a place. He then went on to play at three World Cups. His teammate Jackson Irvine says he's the most underrated Socceroo of all time, and he's now one of the most experienced leaders at Melbourne City FC. Aziz Behich has had quite the journey.

He joins OlanTekkers about the setbacks that shaped his career, making it overseas, facing some of football’s biggest names and the mentality that kept him going when things weren’t working out. He also relives his famous chance against Argentina, explains why it still haunts him, gives his honest take on the hype around young Socceroos and Australian football, and shares what he thinks the A-League needs to do to keep growing.

In this episode:

0:00 From NPL Vic with Green Gully to the A-League

1:53 The wing-back position

3:40 Breaking into professional football

4:18 Being told he wasn’t wanted at the airport

5:32 The trial that changed his career

6:17 Advice for young players on trial

8:01 Moving to Turkey

9:13 The toughest players Aziz has faced

10:25 How the fullback position has evolved

12:53 Aziz’s Socceroos journey

14:17 Struggling for game time overseas

15:05 His mentality when he’s not playing

16:31 Three World Cups with the Socceroos

17:35 The Denmark game in Qatar

18:06 That famous moment against Argentina

18:54 The importance of the Paraguay game

19:28 Pressure on the current Socceroos generation

21:17 The most underrated Socceroos

23:46 Are left backs underappreciated?

24:49 Switching off from football

26:50 How can the A-League improve?

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The Failed Footballer is an iHeart podcast. Watch, listen and discover more podcasts, playlists and live radio on the FREE iHeart App.

Olan may have failed as a footballer. So do 99.9 of players who try and make it, but how many of them can say they got a podcast out of it? Here you'll get unqualified takes from Olan, and expert commentary from football legends who actually made it. All the goals, all the drama, all the ammo for your group chat from football's biggest leagues around the world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.