David James - Exclusive Interview

James has also tipped City to beat United at the weekend, as well as Liverpool to beat Fulham. The former goalkeeper has also said Liverpool is run as a business so ‘if Mo Salah doesn't agree to any contracts Liverpool offer, then Liverpool will have a replacement’. He went on to say Julen Lopetegui is “the right man for the job”, but “If West Ham were looking for it, there's a nice fit there [with Michael Carrick].

Q: How impressed have you been with Arne Slot’s start at Liverpool? 

DJ: “I've been very impressed. Not in a weird way, but I am not surprised because the one thing that Liverpool has proven over and over in the last eight or nine years is their quality to recruit well. 

“The Jürgen Klopp situation for any other club would have been a big problem; for pretty much any other club, it would have been a big problem for him to say that he wanted to step down. 

“I know that Liverpool would have had Arne Slot, amongst others, already in their sights. If Jürgen was ever going to do what he did, then they were going to be prepared for it. So I wasn't surprised in that sense - they have a good manager and coach. 

“I think the surprise is, and positively, where things haven't quite gone right he's been able to rectify the problems and then get the results right.”

Q: Can Liverpool win the league under Arne Slot?

Arne Slot

“Obviously their league position at the moment is pretty good, with regards to winning the league, simplistically I would say get to 90 points, and see who's there with you. 

“At the moment I think Liverpool are heading there comfortably, however, Chelsea are doing very well, better than everyone else at the moment, of course.

“I don't want to say it’s Liverpool's to lose, but the way they seem to be improving and getting through these games it’s making it very difficult for anyone to catch them up.”

Q: Will Mo Salah, Virgil and Trent sign new Liverpool contracts? If they do leave, how will fans react?

DJ: “I've got a lot of friends who support Liverpool. They've been Mo Salah fans for many years now, as many people have. He has started the season so well, and I was applauding what I saw in his performances, not just because of the goals, but because of his contribution to Liverpool being so good this season. 

“Now he's been adding goals to that as well, assists to that. I was at the game in Newcastle the other day, and it was just amazing. 

“My friends who support Liverpool, especially Mo Salah, want the contract side sorted. 

“However, this goes back to the first question about Arne Slot and how well he's done: Liverpool's succession planning will include every player. They will have a list of players who are there to replace if needed or if they can acquire them.

“I think ultimately the best thing about Liverpool is that it's been run as a proper business and within that business, Mo Salah becomes a part of the business, not just a wonderful individual. Therefore, if Mo Salah doesn't agree to any contracts Liverpool offer, then Liverpool will have a replacement. 

“It sounds very cold, but in order for Liverpool to be successful, they have to go that way. Yes, I think every fan wants to see Mo playing, but it has to fit within the structure of the business. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement at some point.”

Mo Salah

Q: Should Liverpool look to strengthen any areas come January?

DJ: “Well, I mean, you can't complain at the moment because of where they are. 

“Champions League 100 per cent, one defeat in the league. It’s I'd say, an incredible start and I think what's interesting is that the next game in the Premier League is going to be a tough one because Alexis Mac Allister's suspended. He would’ve missed the Everton game if it wasn't called off, but then the follow on that he's going to be suspended and the strength of Liverpool at the moment.

“As much as Mo Salah has scored a lot of goals, it’s that four midfield sort of partnership, the rotation of three and you take one out, you can still play obviously with three, but as it was proved in the Newcastle game, if one player is having an off day, then it might be that they need to replace him. 

“Therefore, perhaps looking for someone who can make it a five. 

“I mean, we're talking about sort of massive rotations. Harvey Elliott's come back fit, so maybe he can fit the role and they don't need to actually go and acquire someone, but yes, that midfield is the engine, it’s the area of the field which is creating Liverpool's opportunities.

“They just have to make sure that they've got enough personnel to see the rest of the season through.”

Q: What are your thoughts and predictions for Liverpool v Fulham at the weekend?

DJ: “As I was saying, Mac Allister's suspended. Fulham had a great result on the weekend against Arsenal, albeit close with disallowed goals and all, but they're proving to be a very interesting team this season. 

“When you look at their home form, again, Arsenal was a great result for them, a lot of confidence, but they've also lost or not won against teams which you would expect them to do better against at home.

“As I say, Fulham will be hoping that Girona is a taxing game for Liverpool. They've got the travel as well. If it's as windy as it's been this week coming back, there could even be some disruption. Hopefully not. 

“Again, I think I see Liverpool winning the game. I think again, it'll be a tough game after the travelling. The problem is I don't see Liverpool losing, but again, that's as I say, because of the strength of that midfield and the form of Mo Salah.”

Q: How is Julian Lepotegi getting on and is he the right man for the job? 

DJ: “I'm going to say he's the right man for the job, I just think that West Ham have been very inconsistent.

“Going away and winning at Newcastle and then losing at home, but then beating Wolves last night. It's frustrating for West Ham fans. I know because I know a lot of West Ham fans as well. 

“It's part of the nature of West Ham, I have to say as well, because West Ham fans often get frustrated. 

“I think he's got the right ideas, he just needs to get the team onside, and show the qualities that they've got because they do have quality players and just a bit of time. 

“The one thing is West Ham are used to being, as I say, in these sort of perilous positions and they get themselves out. 

“I think that gives him a little bit more time than perhaps the team we were expecting to be top of the table, or in that fight for the European places. 

“I think he'll get it right. As I say, I think they've got the quality in the squad there and in a couple of months time, hopefully, people won't even be thinking about changing it.”

Keith Erskine / Alamy Stock Photo

Q: Your old West Ham teammate Michael Carrick has been heavily linked to the job at West Ham - would he be a good fit?

DJ: “If West Ham decides to make the change, I think the one thing about Michael Carrick, of all my teammates who have gone into management, or are currently in management, is that he’s the one who's had the most longevity and success in the sense that he hasn't lost his job. 

“If West Ham were looking for it, there's a nice fit there, of course. 

“I'm not sure if Michael Carrick was looking at a Manchester United job at one point, but if he was to go to them, he's erudite and he's a very good communicator. 

“However, as I say, I think first and foremost, Julen Lopetegui has the opportunity to get himself into a better position and then the conversation about replacement, as I say, will be null and void.”

Q: Can England win the World Cup in 2026 under Tuchel? 

DJ: “First and foremost, I think with regards to the World Cup, I'm an England fan, so I always go into every tournament thinking that England can win, and I'm always right until someone knocks us out. 

“Obviously in the summer, we were a few minutes away from maybe getting to that position. 

“The problem that Thomas Tuchel and the England team are going to face, and again, when they go back to Spain in the summer, is the fact that there's a team, arguably with younger players like Lamine Yamal who are considerably younger than most England players. 

“They've already got European success. They've already got a young new manager, fresh if you like, and they should in theory be one of the favourites to go on and win the World Cup. 

“So we're going to have to beat a team that's already beaten us in a major tournament, it's achievable, but it's going to be difficult. I think rotation in the squad is going to be a massive issue after Lee Carsley has introduced new, top players to the squad - established names may miss out under Thomas Tuchel.

“I think he was right bringing in young players and giving them opportunities. I was just thinking about it this morning, we've actually lost or are losing a number of players who have been involved in major tournaments. I say relative success for Liverpool, for England, So Thomas has got his work cut out as England Manager, but I think he can do it.”

Q: Should an English manager should have been given the job?

DJ: “I can't complain because of my 53 caps, 51 of them were for a foreign manager. 

“For me, it worked. What’s always going to be the issue with England is that whoever wins a major tournament for England, if he's English or foreign, will be the right manager and whoever doesn't win a major tournament for England, if he's English or foreign, is the wrong manager. 

“It's quite binary. I just hope that Thomas Tuchel is the right man and we can have some English tournament success.”

Q: Jordan Pickford has 73 caps for England and he’s only 30 years old - is he already England’s greatest-ever goalkeeper?

DJ: “Well, it's funny again, because of my 53 caps, 52 of them were aged 30 and older. So on that metric, I think Jordan would be at what? 127 caps or whatever it was if he were able to keep his place. 

“I think the caveat to this is where the competition is going to come from. At the moment, I don't think he's having a stern enough competitor up against him. So in that theory then he could easily look at beating Peter Shilton's record which would make him the greatest in amassed achievements and caps. 

“Gordon Banks is the best in the sense that he won the World Cup, and contributed to winning the World Cup as well. 

“When you look at English goalkeepers and what they've played in, then no one is going to top Jordan Pickford: two finals and penalty saves in major finals. 

“He's done a tremendous amount as an England goalkeeper. I know it is 70 plus caps, but by the tender age of 30, he's done a tremendous amount. I think there is a measurement which would say he has achieved more than any other goalkeeper to play for England, but Gordon Banks is the only one with a winner's medal.”

By Sven Mandel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57422707

Q: What are your predictions for the Manchester Derby this weekend?

DJ: “You know what? There's a level of frustration at the moment and it's not that I know more than Pep. The level of frustration is quite simple: The injury issues Manchester City have had definitely contributed to the poor runner form. 

“I mean, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne is one thing that I think they could have, and they proved actually, if you look at the results, they were able to win games without those two playing.

“When Grealish and Doku were out, then City had problems playing Bernardo Silva on the right and Savinho was given an extra role, especially as a new player at Manchester City. 

“That's the kind of role that would be very difficult to actually take full control of. We saw against Feyenoord in the Champions League when Pep puts two wingers on, they win games of football. I rephrase, they lead in games of football.

“There was a bit of a meltdown with half an hour to go to get the draw, but it demonstrated that two wingers essentially is what Man City are about. 

“That's the way they've played their season so far. Followed up with Liverpool where there were no wingers to start the game and then they struggled. They put wingers in for the game at home and they win comfortably. Then they take the wingers out for the weekend and draw.

“How do I see them getting on against Manchester United? Start with two wingers, they can beat Manchester United. Well, they will beat Manchester United, I'm confident of that. If for any reason that Pep doesn't play two wingers, they're in trouble. It's gonna make their job exceedingly hard. 

“At the moment, I'm talking about inconsistencies in teams in the Premier League. Well, Manchester United, even with their new manager, are proving to be very inconsistent. 

“What you don't want is to find a good team up against you when you're not in your best position, as I say, Man City with wingers, I think are in the best position and that will win the game.”

Q: What would be your combined Man Utd and Man City XI for Sunday’s game?

DJ: “Ortega, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Grealish, Fernandes, Savinho, Haaland”

Q: Have Man City turned a corner now? How many trophies do you think they will end up with this season?  

DJ: “Turning it again, I go back to the point that if you put the right team out, then they'll win games of football without a doubt. 

“When I say the right team, Doku and Grealish are available. It's not like we're looking at a side without the wingers available, which they didn't have a month or so ago. 

“Put the right team out there, they'll beat Manchester United, they'll win games of football. 

“To win trophies, obviously the Carabao Cup is out the window…Premier League, they've got to overtake Liverpool and Chelsea and I think they're too many points behind. 

“I don't think it will be a contest. I think they'll have a run where Liverpool will have to look over their shoulder; but I go back to the point about Liverpool at the moment, they're in a fantastic place. I think, what is it, 11 points if Liverpool wins their game in hand? I can't see Pep winning that. 

“Champions League, again, very difficult when you've got 100% record for Liverpool and City have dropped points in the Champions League, but the Champions League isn't about winning the group stage, it's about winning the finals and both teams, I think, have had experience in that. However, Real Madrid will be in there provided they qualify. They will have their say in that. So very difficult for Man City in the Champions League. 

“The FA Cup. So this is the one season, it's crazy to think about it when you think that they won the treble a couple of years ago and the Premier League four times in a row. This season could be reduced to possibly a domestic cup.”

Q: What are your thoughts and predictions for Juventus v Man City?

DJ: “I was looking at Juventus’s form - I think this would be a draw. 

“Only because Juventus are so stubborn. 

“One defeat this season, they haven't been battering teams. 

“So again, with the way City are at the moment, I think it's going to be very tough for them to go there and win the game. However, I don't think City need to win the game either. 

“Yeah, so I'll go for the draw.”

Q: What are your thoughts and predictions for Derby County vs Portsmouth on Friday?

DJ: “Well, I mean, Derby lost at the weekend, didn't they? Was it 2-0 on the weekend? And the mighty Pompey won. 

“They're on the road to recovery. How many games left in the season? We [Portsmouth] can still get a promotion. 

“I've got a friend who's a Derby fan and I've told him I'm going to wear a Portsmouth shirt. 

“I've got a black and red old-school Portsmouth shirt that I got off the internet. 

“I'm going go 2-1 Portsmouth. When you talk about turning the corner, we've turned the corner, and yeah Pompey are going up!”

Q: What can you remember from when you came on up front against Middlesbrough for Man City in 2005?

DJ: “Yeah, that was an interesting day. So what do I remember? We were playing Middlesbrough in the last game of the season. We were on equal points. I think Middlesbrough had scored more goals than us, so their goal difference was better than ours, rather than me conceding more goals. Essentially the winners of that game would be able to qualify for European competition.

“For City that would have been an amazing achievement given where they've been, you know, previous couple of years or previous 10 years. Again, slightly ironic that we're talking about treble winners and you know, they might only win the FA Cup this season. 

“Back then, qualifying for Europe, as I say, would have been an amazing major achievement. 

“We were drawing one all and at half time, I spoke to the kit man and the kit man said to me, ‘I've got your outfield shirt ready’ and I said what are you on about and he said ‘I've got your shirt ready’ and I was like ‘look forget it I've got a game to play’, and it didn't even dawn on me what he was talking about. 

“Then it seemed like 20 minutes before the end of the game, but it turned out to only be eight, the board went up and Nicky Weaver was stood next to the fourth official and I was thinking ‘why am I being brought off’ and then Claudio Reyna got substituted. I had to go over to the official, they handed me in a number one outfielder shirt, and that was kind of it. I turned around to Shaun Wright-Phillips and I said to him, ‘what am I supposed to do?’

“He didn't actually tell me what to do, but I worked out that fouling every Middlesbrough player wasn't part of the plan, but that's essentially what I did. 

“We got a penalty and Robbie Fowler missed and we ended up drawing one all and in the end, what would have been the greatest managerial decision ever didn't quite work out.”

Q: Looking back at your career, what was your favourite save that you ever made throughout your long career?

DJ: “I don't think I can have one. It's not strange at all because certain moments in certain games had different meanings.

“The first save I made for Watford, actually I made a save against Teddy Sheringham for Watford in my debut and they gave a goal and it wasn't a goal. So that was interesting because it was obviously, well pre-VAR.

“There was a save I made against Everton in my first Merseyside derby. It was in the last minute, top corner. The whistle went about a minute later and they never showed the replay. So we ended up winning 2-1. So it was like a match-winning save in the end.

“I think if anything, making a save in the World Cup finals.

“Yeah, at 39, I'd waited a long, long time to play in World Cup finals. Not a spectacular save at all, but just the opportunity to be there to do it. There were a few others, but yeah.”

Q: Which was the best manager that you played under and why.

DJ: “I had two managers stick out at club level. 

“First of all, any manager that played me, I've got respect for but Harry Redknapp is one.

“At 36, I joined Portsmouth and quite literally had a phone call with Steve McLaren to tell me that I wasn't required for England anymore. 

“So I was kind of like my international days, as far as I was concerned, were finished. 

“Under Harry Redknapp, I think I probably had the best form in my career, obviously with Harry's team, but just as a manager, the way that he treated me, the way that we had that kind of level of communication just made me, I want to say feel like a million dollars, but that was cheap back in 2006 too. 

“But yeah, he made me feel like the best goalkeeper - if it hadn't been for Harry and what I did with Portsmouth, then I wouldn't have got my chance to get back into the England squad, make that fame, you know, favourite save in the World Cup. So Harry was exceptional then. 

“The other one was Eddie Howe, who was my last English manager at Bournemouth.

“Just the way that he spoke very, very, different to Harry, even sacked me nicely. Yeah, I can't go into the story too much detail, but I was in his office saying, ‘I think I've just been sacked’.

“He was fantastic. The fact that Bournemouth were in league one at the time, he took over towards the bottom of the table, ended up getting a promotion and three years later in the Premier League. Yeah, what a manager.”

Harry Redknapp

Q: Who was the hardest player that you played with?

DJ: “It just came up in a conversation the other day, actually and strangely someone I didn't appreciate until he left. 

“I don't know how many players at any level have got that player in their team and they go, yeah, they're all right and then when they go, it’s ‘wow, I've missed them’. 

“Sulley Muntari, again, going back to Portsmouth, he was at Portsmouth and every game he would go to tackle so hard, smashing people, but fairly. I was thinking you're going to get sent off, you're a liability and I'm saying this to myself, not to him, but I was like, come on. Then he'd score the goal and I’d be like, ‘okay, he's okay’. 

“Wasn't until he left and you're like, where is our midfield general? Where's Sulley gone? He'd gone to Inter and won the Champions League. But yeah, Sulley was top, top, top draw.”

Q: How about the best striker that you've ever come against?

DJ: “Two come to mind. I mean, there's been a few that scored against me. Yeah, a few of my friends, but I'm not going to mention them. 

“In a similar way, playing a game, I could have been at what I thought was my best and still walked off conceding one, two or three goals from two strikers and that was Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry.

“It was crushing to think that I felt good going into the game, did good stuff in a game and still walked off on the losing side or having conceded a wonder goal from Thierry Henry in the top corner or Didier Drogba just because he was on the pitch.

“I was like, what do I do to stop these guys from scoring? They were amazing and obviously they won a few things as well. So they kind of proved their worth, but those two without a doubt were the best.”