Anders Limpar Exclusive Interview with NewBettingSites.uk

Anders Limpar exclusive: Arsenal have all the quality but their mental strength is the question mark hanging over their season

Arsenal cult hero Anders Limpar has backed his old club to see off Manchester City in the Premier League title race but has concerns about whether they have the mental strength to win the Champions League after their recent defeats.

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk after Mikel Arteta’s side beat Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash, the Swede warned critics of the North London club not to expect the Gunners to turn on the style in the second leg either.

Limpar also gave his view on how Viktor Gyokeres is progressing in the Premier League, why Manchester City and Manchester United could be set for a transfer window tug-of-war to sign Lucas Bergvall, and what Dejan Kulusevski could offer as Mohamed Salah’s replacement.

The former Everton midfielder also backed Alexander Isak to have a big say in Liverpool’s quest to make the Champions League semi-finals and the top five in the Premier League run-in but pinpointed the Merseyside derby as a potential decider for that all-important European spot.

Read his full interview with NewBettingSites below.

How important was the win over Sporting to steady the ship after Arsenal’s disappointing losses in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup?

I found it strange the team Mikel Arteta picked in the previous two games, especially when Arsenal lost against Southampton.

We actually played the reserves and you can't just choose what kind of games you have to win this close to the end of the season. You need to play the best players you’ve got. There's only a few weeks left and even if they get injured Arsenal have so many good first-team substitutes so I thought the way they were knocked out of the FA Cup was a real blow, actually.

You assume that Arsenal were going to go to Southampton and win quite easily but against Sporting I think Arteta had the perfect game plan. We were sitting back and the main objective for the whole evening was not to let a goal in. That Arsenal nicked it at the end was a big bonus.

But Mikel Arteta has to be criticised for the team he chose to play against Southampton because you can’t throw away the FA Cup like that if you are in the race for the Premier League and the Champions League. You can't just throw it in the bin. The FA Cup is just as important a trophy to win.

It’s been a good and bad week for Mikel Arteta. Bad that he picked the wrong side against Southampton but really good for proving his class as a manager for the way he played the game away at Sporting, because they are a very hard team to beat at home. They beat Bodø/Glimt at home, who have the best defensive record in Europe this season. I think 1-0 is a good result for Arsenal to take back to London.

Critics have said that Arsenal’s rigid, structured approach is now becoming a problem because it stifles their individuals. What’s your view?

Has Mikel Arteta’s system become a problem for stopping Arsenal players taking enough risks? No, because the most important thing is to win games and not concede goals.

Sometimes I do agree with the view that Arsenal’s football holds the talent back but it is all about winning, and I thought the game plan against Sporting was tremendous.

Even if Sporting are the weakest side in the quarter-finals, which is something I agree with, I don’t care so long as Arsenal were really solid. It’s a tie over two legs so winning 1-0 and not conceding a goal is an unbelievably good result for the first leg.

Does that leave it open for Sporting to land a suckerpunch on Arsenal and win it at the Emirates?

Can Sporting beat Arsenal at the Emirates and go through to the semi-finals? You should always respect your opponent. It doesn’t matter who you meet. We saw Arsenal lose against Southampton, and they should have had more respect for Southampton.

Every time you approach a game, you have to have respect for the opponent and what they can do to you so of course Sporting can hurt Arsenal at the Emirates but on the other hand, Arsenal are one of the top teams in England when it comes to playing at home. We are very very hard to beat at Emirates but that doesn't really matter in this game.

It's about winning. It's not about having a point or a win in the longer run in a league where you have to play 38 games. This is just one game and we are 1-0 ahead. Sporting should be more scared than we are because we know how to play and how to win at the Emirates.

What’s your prediction for Arsenal vs Sporting in the second leg?

Another 1-0 would be a good result, actually. It would be perfect for getting past Sporting. I still don’t think Mikel Arteta will set out his team to go and play attacking football against Sporting at home. He is too clever for that. He is going to pack them in, make it tight for them, and even if it ends 0-0 then that is going to be a really good result for us. I know that Arteta is going to play tight football and at least get a draw from the game.

Can you understand why this sort of approach makes Arsenal fans so nervous, especially after the big disappointment of the Carabao Cup final and crashing out of the FA Cup?

Is it understandable why Arsenal fans are so nervous that their team are not going to win anything? It’s probably a little bit more understandable now because we were all expecting Arsenal to go far in all four competitions. Then suddenly you go out of the FA Cup and you lose in the League Cup final and you begin worrying about whether the team can do it. The nerves start to creep in.

But I shouldn’t be too worried about the Premier League. I think Arsenal will win the Premier League by a couple of points. We have to lose too many games to not win it now. Arsenal would have to lose three games and Manchester City would have to win three games, and I don’t think that is going to happen, but Arsenal winning the Champions League? That now looks like a massive ask when we have to face the top teams in Europe.

I think we're going to win the Premier League and then god knows how we're gonna play in the semi-final in the Champions League if we get there but I’m very hopeful that we will win the Premier League this year.

If you could pick, who would you want Arsenal to face in the semi-finals of all the clubs you expect to progress this year?

Who would I fancy Arsenal to play in the semi-finals of the Champions League? No one. Look at the teams who are there. Arsenal are probably going to face Barcelona because over two legs I think Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid.

If Arsenal could face Barcelona right now it would be a good thing because Raphinha is out and that’s like taking Lionel Messi away from his team or taking Declan Rice out of Arsenal. They are much weaker than normal and I think these will be very tight games against Barcelona if Arsenal can get there.

Are fans wrong to be disappointed if Arsenal only end up winning the Premier League at the end of the season?

Is it understandable if fans feel disappointed at only winning the Premier League this year? I think that would be unreasonable because even to win the Premier League is not easy. We haven’t won it for 23 years or something.

Any fans who feel disappointed in Arsenal’s season now will definitely regret it when Arsenal win the Premier League. How can fans ever be disappointed to be in the running for four competitions in a season?

I am disappointed because of how the team was set up against Southampton. That was throwing away a cup in my opinion, and you shouldn't do that. I think Mikel Arteta was ranking the cups. The League Cup was fourth, the FA Cup third, probably the Champions League is number two, and then you have the Premier League, but a club like Arsenal has 22 players who can play and Arteta took that Southampton game too easy.

Ask Arsenal fans all around the world, even if we only win the Premier League this season we will be damn happy about it.

What would be the impact on Mikel Arteta if Arsenal end the season without winning any trophies?

If Arsenal fail to win a trophy this season, it would be devastating for Mikel Arteta. He has bought the players to win at least two competitions this year. We have the best squad we’ve had in ages. To not win anything this year would be a big, big blow for Arsenal but an even bigger blow for Arteta. The way the fans would look at it, and the way the club would look at it, if Arsenal don’t win, Arteta is probably going to be sacked.

That is a terrible thing to say because I love Arteta more than anybody on this planet but if you don’t win, well, football is all about winning. If they don’t win this year, Arsenal are going to think they have to change managers because they have the squad to win things.

But it’s not only about the manager or even the players. The thing is to win you have to do it together, and if we don’t win things this year, Arsenal are going to think they need to change the manager, even if it’s not the manager’s fault. It’s everybody’s fault if Arsenal don’t win. But I’m pretty certain that we are going to win the Premier League.

If Pep Guardiola can deny Arsenal the title and bring another treble back to Manchester City would that be the perfect opportunity for him to walk away and go out on a high?

Pep Guardiola has been at Manchester City for such a long time now that the question in my opinion is why would he ever leave?

If he wins another treble or even the double, I think he will stay there until the bitter end. I’m not sure there is anywhere else he could go where he would get what he has at City.

When you are Guardiola sitting in that chair, at the very top of the world, he is probably the best manager there is and at City he can choose whoever he wants. If he wants to buy this player and that player and then five or six other players, they will buy them for him. He is in a great position to win trophies. He can actually buy the best players in the world and that's what he has at City. He can manage in his whole little world, so he’s not going anywhere especially if he wins at least two cups this season.

Can Dejan Kulusevski replace Bernardo Silva at Manchester City?

Bernardo Silva and Dejan Kulusevski are totally different players.

Everybody said when David Silva left Manchester City, how were they going to replace him? It’s impossible. Then Bernardo Silva came in. When Kevin De Bruyne left, the question was how are they going to replace him?

You can’t replace players like this. A player is going somewhere and a different replacement is going to come in. But I can’t see Dejan Kulusevski in that kind of role.

Kulusevski is more of an attacking player, playing on the wing and creating space for other players, and I see Bernardo Silva almost like the engine of his team. He is like Bruno Fernandes. I don’t think Dejan is that kind of engine for his team. He is one of the best attacking players in Europe when he’s full fit

He's more of an attacking player on a wing creating space for other players. Bernardo Silva is the engine in the team. It's like Declan Rice, he's the engine. Bruno Fernandes, they are the engine. In my opinion, I don't think Dejan is an engine in the team. He is one of the best attacking players in Europe when he is fully fit and you have to use him in that sense.

He is not a creative midfielder knocking the ball around and dictating the game. He needs to have another one of those players dictating the game to pass it to him so he can finish it off so I don't think he’s the kind of a player who City can sign to replace Bernardo Silva.

We're definitely going to see another player come in at Manchester City and if Tottenham go down, I can actually see Lucas Bergvall as the replacement to Bernardo Silva. He is a much, much better option because he can be that engine. He’s young. He’s mobile. He’s a very intelligent player. He has four lungs. I would choose him rather than Dejan in that sense.

Lucas Bergvall has been linked to a few clubs. Who would suit him best if he left Tottenham?

It would be a great opportunity for Lucas Bergvall to go to Manchester United this summer because Bruno Fernandes is alone there.

If you look at Arsenal with Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard, when they play together they make Declan Rice much better, and when he is playing he is making Odegaard so much better, and Bruno Fernandes needs that kind of playmate in midfield.

Lucas is going to be a very, very good player to play with and actually if I could speak to Lucas myself I would say to him he should pick Manchester United because if you look at what United are doing right now, they are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They are going to buy a new team for Michael Carrick. We don’t have to worry about them.

Manchester United are going to be in the title race again under Carrick. So why don’t you join United and build on that? They’re going to be in the hunt again. They are going to be one of the three teams who can win the title over the next few years. The only worry about United is if they choose another manager to manage them.

Is Michael Carrick still the man in your view?

Michael Carrick is definitely the right man for Manchester United. He knows the system. He knows the United way. He has a good connection with the old players who have an input on what to do and what not to do. I think United now is as it should be. It would be unfair not to give him the job. I mean, who else could have come in and had these kinds of results? Carrick is the manager United should pick for their future.

Based on how you describe the qualities of Kulusevski, would he be better suited to replace Mohamed Salah this summer instead?

Dejan Kulusevski to Liverpool? It would fit him like a hand in a glove.

Kulusevski is kind of like Mohamed Salah light. Salah has been absolutely unbelievable for Liverpool for so many years and Dejan would actually be a good replacement for him if Spurs were to go down. Liverpool could probably nick him on the cheap then. Liverpool would be a great move for him and his career.

If Tottenham didn’t go down then I don’t think Kulusevski should rush into leaving Tottenham because they can start to build a new team around him. They are still a rich club. They're going to buy players as well to make everything right again.

Do Arsenal need to make better use of Viktor Gyokeres to end the season strong?

I have always had faith in Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal. He is a goalscorer but you can see that he isn’t involved in every game. He wasn’t there against Sporting. He touched the ball 17 times and it wasn’t the kind of game he needed but you can see that he's quiet for a few games and then suddenly he knocks a few in.

You should have seen him when he played for Sweden in the World Cup play-offs. He was electrifying. He was unreal. That’s because the way Sweden play suits him a little bit better than how Arsenal are using him right now. They knock it around whereas Sweden play direct football and when you play more direct Viktor is one of the best in Europe.

In my opinion he can have games like he did against Sporting so long as we win because if we don't win everybody looks at Viktor. Has he scored or not scored today? It's a very hard task for him to carry Arsenal, you know. There are 21 more players who have to do it too. It's not only Viktor but when we don't win everyone looks at Viktor and you should never ever criticise just one player like that. He’s part of a whole collection. Criticise the system, not Viktor.

Is it a problem with Arsenal’s style of play and less of a problem with Gyokeres now?

Viktor is an unbelievably good player when it comes to attacking football, getting forward, running for the ball, being awkward and being strong. When Arsenal just knock it around from one winger to the other and he doesn't touch the ball for 10 minutes, that's not his game.

Arsenal bought him to be a target player, to get into the box, and he has done that tremendously. I've said in the past that Viktor has to adapt to the Arsenal system but Arsenal have to adapt to what Viktor needs too when it comes to how we play.

So give him some time, you know. It's not easy to go from Portugal to the Premier League and then be unbelievable straightaway. He's been really, really good, he's just not been unbelievable, and it takes a few months, maybe a few years maybe to adapt. He's definitely a player for the future at Arsenal.

Did the losses in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup expose any weaknesses that Arsenal must address in the transfer window?

Do Arsenal need to spend big this summer to fix any parts of their squad? No, because as I see it we have two players in every position and we are one of the strongest teams in the world when it comes to the quality we have on the bench.

Everybody can come in and play in a certain kind of position. It doesn't matter if I have Noni Modueke, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Norgaard or whoever. It doesn't matter.

What I'm concerned about is how psychologically strong this Arsenal squad is when it comes to the critical moments. You can’t even put on these kinds of players. In terms of talent they are top of the table, top of all of Europe and the world, but when it comes to these moments it is a question of whether you have the mentally strong players to step up.

In the past we have seen Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and other strong personalities as captains. You can’t question this Arsenal team when it comes to their ability to play football. They are mind-blowing. But do they have the mental strength when it matters most? That’s what it is all about.

That has to come from the manager to create that mentally strong environment in the dressing room and you need that winning mentality. As football players, they are all unbelievable, but they have to be able to step up and be strong in the critical moments.

Could Casemiro give Arsenal that mental strength as a free signing for next season?

Casemiro to Arsenal? I have the highest respect for Casemiro but he should pack it in now.

Like everybody else he is not getting younger. He is probably going to go to another country that can make him even richer.

Arsenal should bring in young, fit, good footballers instead of signing Casemiro on a free because Arsenal already have Casemiro times five in our current squad. He’s not better than any of the midfielders who play for Arsenal at the moment.

If Arsenal signed Casemiro he would be a deadweight on the club’s finances. It would not be a good move when it comes to his wages.

Let him go somewhere else. He’s been at the top of the world for the past 10 years so how about we give the man a rest so he can either stop and retire or go to where the money is.

Does Casemiro look like a manager of the future to you?

Could we see Casemiro become a top manager like Mikel Arteta? Sure, why not! If you look at the managers who are very, very successful, many of them come from Spain. Spanish coaches are very, very clever. They know their own system of playing. Casemiro has played in Spain and has been very successful as a player so he can become an unbelievable manager one day, for sure.

Chelsea host Manchester City this weekend while Arsenal take on Bournemouth. Is this weekend crucial to decide the shape of the title race and whether City’s momentum can be slowed?

It is one hell of a game for Manchester City to go to Stamford Bridge and beat Chelsea. That’s not easy. But it’s not easy for Arsenal to win against Bournemouth. There really are no easy games. We saw that when Arsenal played Wolverhampton Wanderers and it was a 2-2 draw. Nobody could have predicted that. What you have to do is have respect for your opponents.

City are in tremendous form. They can beat Chelsea but they have to have respect for Chelsea because it is still not an easy game. Arsenal have to respect Bournemouth because Arsenal have had to travel back from Lisbon and they are looking to next week to get into the Champions League semi-finals. You have to take one game at a time.

If Arsenal have the right mentality, they should probably beat Bournemouth, but it’s up to the players and how they approach the game, and how Arteta approaches the game.

Does Liam Rosenior need to get big results against Manchester City and Manchester United in his next two games to convince Chelsea’s owners to stick with him?

Can Liam Rosenior survive at Chelsea? It’s all about winning. It doesn't matter what you do. Managers have to win and Chelsea is the hardest job you can have in the world when it comes to sport.

Managing any Premier League side, you know, it's all about winning and if you don't win, sorry, you have to go. We have seen managers recently managing a team for six or seven games and then they're off. Look at Nottingham Forest. Have they had four managers this season? I mean it's ridiculous. It’s one of the toughest jobs you can have in sport.

Seeing how Graham Potter is doing with Sweden, should that give Rosenior some hope if it all comes crashing down around him at Chelsea?

Liam Rosenior is not a bad manager regardless of what happens to him at Chelsea. We have to remember that.

If you are a player, if you play in the Premier League then you are not a bad player. It doesn't matter who you pick, you're an unbelievable football player if you play at that level. You have better players and you have worse players, but you're still an unbelievable footballer.

Managing a Premier League team is the same. You're one hell of a manager. It doesn't matter who you are managing. You are at the top of your profession.

Could the title race go down to the wire for an exciting showdown on the final day between Arsenal and Manchester City?

The title race could all be over this weekend if Chelsea beat Manchester City and Arsenal beat Bournemouth. That would be too big of a gap for even City to reach, even if Arsenal lost to City. I think this weekend is the decider. Even if City win and Arsenal win, it’s still nine points with only five or so games left.

City do have an advantage. Arsenal are not just concentrating on every game in the Premier League. They have the Champions League to look at too.

You have to take it one game at a time, and you have to put out your strongest side. Even if Arsenal had beaten Sporting 6-0, they couldn’t put out a weakened side at the Emirates. You don’t rest your star players at this point in the season. You let them play. They are young fit lads who are 25 years old. They can play three games per week. No sweat. Just take it one game at a time and win the fucking games!

Now that England have that fifth Champions League spot, can Everton mount a push to overtake Liverpool and make it into the Champions League this season by finishing fifth?

Everton have seven games left to play. Anything can happen and they are on a good run. We will miss Jack Grealish very badly but I think we have a good chance.

The Merseyside derby is coming up soon and given where both clubs are right now, that could be the decider for the Champions League spot, and Everton can win that game. Liverpool can win that game too. It’s a 50-50 in my opinion.

If we win an important game like that, we can go above them, so they have to take it one game at a time and just play their own game.

Given what PSG did to Chelsea, and what Man City did to Liverpool, how ugly could it get for Liverpool if PSG turn it on against them?

Paris Saint-Germain are the worst opponents Liverpool could face right now. They’ve got a manager who has seen it all and done it all before. They are probably the best team in Europe even ahead of Arsenal and Bayern Munich. These will be two very tough games but you never, ever know. Something like a red card could spoil it for PSG.

Liverpool have to approach the game with good, mentally strong players and have the belief that they’re going out there to win the game. But these won’t be easy games, I can tell you that.

Would a heavy defeat to PSG put Arne Slot in an untenable situation as Liverpool boss?

We have no idea how hard it is to manage. Arne Slot has to deal with a cloud of constant pressure and everything else hanging over him. He has to live and breathe it every second of his life, and he might be paid well for it, but it is too much, and like everything else it isn’t all about Slot.

It’s not the manager. It’s not the players. It’s both sides. They have to do it together. If for some reason Liverpool sack Slot, are they going to sack all the players too then? Because they will have failed too. It’s not only about the manager. Hopefully he will keep his job no matter what happens against PSG.

What would it mean to see Romelu Lukaku back at Everton?

When Romelu Lukaku played for Everton back in the day, he was unreal, but over the last couple of years he’s been in and out. He’s even been on the bench even if he has still scored a few goals.

He was really good for Everton but that was 10 years ago and I’m not sure if it would be a good thing to bring him in. It certainly could be a good thing because he knows Everton. It all comes down to how fit he is, how much he wants to play for Everton, and how he fits what David Moyes wants.

How dangerous would a front three of Jack Grealish, Romelu Lukaku and Iliman Ndiaye be for Everton in the Champions League next season?

Everton could have Jack Grealish, Romelu Lukaku and Iliman Ndiaye up front and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in midfield with Idrissa Gueye. That’s a solid foundation to build on, and Everton even have the stadium for it now.

Everton can be a top five club for seasons ahead. We have the manager to do it. David Moyes is clever. They’re not there yet but not by miles and we have good owners who have a lot of money who can bring in four or five players.

I definitely think we are going to be in the top five for the next few years. It's good times nowadays for Everton.

Could we one day see Mikel Arteta manage Everton?

Can I see Mikel Arteta managing Everton? Yes, I can. It would be a step down from Arsenal to Everton but sure, why not.

If that were to happen, Arsenal would need a good manager to bring in and I think that would be Cesc Fabregas. He’s been an Arsenal player and it would be good to see him come back to Arsenal to manage them because is doing wonders with Como in Serie A.

If it comes to that sad moment where Arsenal are going to sack Arteta, why can't he take the Everton jon? We have seen worse cases when it comes to sacking managers.

It’s all about this season for Arsenal and Arteta and if he’s going to win or not.

Can Manchester United cash in on Bruno Fernandes to rebuild their squad as Liverpool did after selling Philippe Coutinho or is he just too valuable to let go?

Is Bruno Fernandes too important for Manchester United to consider selling him? No player is bigger than the club. If Manchester United can cash in and bring in other players, why wouldn’t you do that?

Bruno Fernandes has been tremendous for United over a long, long period, but he hasn't won as much as they would have been expecting him to win because United have been in a dip for the last five or six years. They haven’t been there in the title race and players come and go.

He’s hardly ever injured. He plays week in, week out, and he scores goals and produces assists. I think they should keep him and build the team around him but if they decide to sell him to cash in, they have to bring in another playmaker. That's the sad way when it comes to football nowadays. You can be replaced.

Would Arsenal fans prefer Tottenham Hotspur to stay up this season to keep the North London derby alive?

Do Arsenal fans want Tottenham Hotspur to stay up? I would say yes because it would be devastating for football in London if Spurs go down. Nobody wants to see that, even if you're an Arsenal fan.

It nearly happened for Everton remember. We were out of the Premier League at half time but we knocked it in and stayed up. I'm not sure Liverpool fans would have been glad if Everton went down. You’d have no Merseyside Derbies and if Tottenham go down you would have no North London derbies.

So please, as a former Arsenal player, let them stay up, but only in the final minute of the final game of the season.

Can Alexander Isak make a big impact for Liverpool in the final weeks of the season to get himself ready for Sweden and the World Cup?

Everyone in Sweden is so happy to see Viktor Gyokeres up and running at Arsenal but with Dejan Kulusevski and Alexander Isak out for so long it’s going to take them months to get into match form and fully fit enough to play for 90 minutes.

Even if they play a couple of games, they have to work on their fitness and you can never ever leave out match practice. You have to play games. It doesn't matter how much you train and how fit you are. When it comes to games it's something else. Isak needs games. Games, games, games. Play him in the reserves two or three times a week. Just get the games into him. That is what Sweden needs.

If Dejan Kulusevski and Alexander Isak are fit, that’s the difference between Sweden getting knocked out in the group stage or going into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. That is how important they both are, and they’ve been out for months and it’s not easy to come back from that and switch it back on.

Can Isak make his impact for Liverpool off the bench? Can he do for Liverpool what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did for Manchester United in the Champions League?

Could Alexander Isak win Liverpool the Champions League as a super sub like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Please god, yes!

Alexander Isak was always a top signing. He’s shown he is one of the best players in the Premier League when he is fit and up and running, and I pray he can get himself back into that form again.

He is a local lad from where I'm from. He played for AIK. I love him. To have an injury like that is heart breaking but he is a very fit lad. He’s a tiny boy despite his height and it can be easier to get back into games than other players for someone like Isak because he is mobile, he is fit and he’s not carrying so much weight.

If he can play 50 minutes here, 10 minutes here, it would help Sweden so much, and probably Liverpool too!

Is it looking like Middlesbrough are going to just fall short once again this season despite Kim Hellberg’s hard work?

It’s always difficult for a club like Middlesbrough. They haven’t won in the last four games and the Championship is the hardest league in the world. All season you have to be in top form but then you have a dip. Middlesbrough were lucky that Millwall lost at home to Norwich City the other night.

I don’t think anyone can catch Coventry City at this point. They may as well already be a Premier League side. When it comes to three teams chasing them, if I had to pick one I still think it will be Middlesbrough who finish second.

They only have a few more games left and Middlesbrough need to find that mental strength to play through these final hard games because I think if they go up they can stay up, like Sunderland.

Middlesbrough have the fans, they have the stadium, and they have the owner to be a Premier League club again. It's just a question of getting there. If they finish second they can relax a bit and go for it next season.

They have five games to get their shit together and win the rest of their matches, because you have to get out of these bad moments and focus on winning the next game.

Are Southampton your pick to win in the play-offs based on what we saw from them against Arsenal and their current form?

Southampton beat Arsenal. They won big against Wrexham. What a time to reach your potential as a team. They have the momentum. There are only a few games left. They can easily get into the play-offs and if you are already winning things, then they have what it takes to do it, mentally. I think they are the team to look out for, for sure.

Can Southampton stay up in the Premier League next year if they make it? I mean, like all Championship teams, they will need five or six new players. That’s how big of a gap it is.

Given how open the Championship has been this season, is it disappointing that Birmingham City aren’t in the mix?

It's always a disappointing season if you don't reach the playoffs. It doesn't matter who you are. For a team like Birmingham City, a sleeping giant, they have everything you could want with the fans and the stadium. But the Championship is the hardest league in the world. There are so many tight games. There are so many teams who are equal. They can be as good as each other from top to bottom.

Birmingham have to rebuild for next season but it’s a big blow for them because they bought the players to go up to the Premier League this year, or at least make the play-offs. Birmingham just had their form dip away at the wrong times. That’s how hard it is in the Championship.

What do you make of Birmingham City making the most of the Peaky Blinders tie-in? Will that help them crack the USA like how Wrexham have benefitted from having their own show?

Birmingham City becoming the football club of Peaky Blinders is great. It’s good for their image in the USA and around the world because we see Birmingham as this hard, industrial city with hard people. Real fighters. I even saw the film and I liked it. It shows the character of the city, of the people, of the football club. It makes people want to see Birmingham in the Premier League to reward their fans who are hard grafting workers, blood, sweat and tears, earning their money. The true fans. That’s the Birmingham fans.

I think it’s how we see the whole of Britain, actually. We imagine how good it must be for the local fans for Middlesbrough to get up into the Premier League. Middlesbrough are another club with tremendous fans.

Does Victor Johansson have the potential to be a top Premier League goalkeeper?

Will Victor Johansson become a Premier League goalkeeper? My advice for him is to stay at Stoke City, get settled and show what you can do next season. Take Stoke City up to the Premier League.

He's been injured recently but he's got the potential to be a Premier League goalkeeper. Give him another year at Stoke to develop. If he goes to a Premier League side now, we won’t be a first-choice goalkeeper for anyone. You’re going to be on the bench and playing reserve team football. It's much better to play for Stoke as a first team goalie for a Championship side rather than playing for the reserves of a Premier League club.

He has to make sure that he is number one at any club he goes to and that’s very hard so my advice is to stay there and take them into the playoffs next year because he is a good prospect.

Does Benjamin Nygren have the firepower to settle the Scottish title race in Celtic’s favour this season?

Can Benjamin Nygren fire Celtic to the title? Nygren was really good for Sweden against Ukraine and Poland. He made some unbelievable assists like when he crossed it in for Viktor Gyokeres. You can see him progressing all the time. He’s a real prospect.

I like him a lot and the Scottish league is very tight among the three teams so it's not over yet and if Nygren can keep scoring the goals to send Celtic on a run then I think they will catch Hearts and Rangers.

If he has a few years at Celtic to progress as a player, his target will be the Premier League. Look at Viktor Gyokeres. He played for Swansea City, Coventry City and then went to Sporting and now to Arsenal. If you are a true goalscorer, you will always fit in.

What’s your advice to Antoine Griezmann on his big move to Orlando City?

Over the last 10 years or so Antoine Griezmann has proven he is a world class player but nobody gets any younger. He's way past 30. He's seen it all, he's done it all. To play in Orlando is an easy life with the sun and everything but you have to have your mind on the football side of things too.

I'm pretty sure that Orlando are not the best right now. They aren’t a team who are going to compete with the top sides in MLS. Griezmann just needs to put his head down, score goals and make the team better. That is all he has to concern himself with.

The other side of moving to MLS is the number of games. There are so many games! And the travel too, it’s huge. You have to fly around the country like a maniac for all the games because the country is so big.

You have to really get into a new lifestyle out there because every game is like travelling to an away game in Europe. You go by plane for a few hours.

Would Cristiano Ronaldo’s star power take MLS to a new level beyond what Lionel Messi has so far managed?

If MLS is to become an even bigger league, it should want to bring a star like Cristiano Ronaldo to the USA but he’s 41-years-old now. He was injured for Portugal’s last two games. He’s got a World Cup coming up. I admire these guys like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and how they can still keep playing all that they have won, it’s amazing, but surely Ronaldo should pack it in now, after the World Cup?

Why would you start another journey in MLS at 41? It’s not an easy league to play in. There are many very good players over there. My message to Ronaldo is please, for the sake of your legacy, score your 1,000 goals and then call it a day.

Nobody can get close to achieving what he has achieved as a football player. Come on. Don't be stubborn. Just face life and pack it in.