#938 | Ed and Isabel sift through the international break - an actual competitive one, for a change, instead of the usual collection of meaningless jog-arounds. There’s chat about who impressed - such as Scott McTominay’s Scotland heroics, Bruno stat-padding for fun, and a few others looked vaguely competent for their countries. The mood dips with a look at United Women, who’ve hit a bump in recent games, raising familiar questions about depth, investment, and the club’s mixedpriorities.

Ed and Isabel dig into Steven Torpey's academy comments, the gap between pipeline and first team, and why the idea of giving young players a chance at United feels more theoretical right now. There’s also a look at Rúben Amorim’s tweaks - signs of progress, signs of stubbornness, and the sense that the January window might be held together by crossed fingers.

The pod closes with an Everton preview: a winnable match that has to go United's way given that European qualification isn’t optional; it’s the minimum.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:18 International Break – Real Stakes for Once 02:20 McTominay: Neapolitan Goal Machine 06:12 Qualifiers, Steve McClaren, Accidental Nostalgia 08:54 United Women’s Recent Dip 11:02 Steven Torpey, the Academy, Pipeline Problems 17:45 Amorim’s Progress and Tactical Shifts 29:51 Squad Depth, January Speculation 34:39 Everton Preview

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free.

NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices