After a busy week of filming for the upcoming Season 2, Frank Arnesen is back in the Netherlands, while Søren Lerby is taking a short vacation in Denmark. This will also be the last video call for now, before the podcast returns to the studio with guests starting September 10 and continuing for the next 12 Thursdays. But first, of course, we need to recap yet another eventful week in soccer.

FC Nordsjælland has been impressive in the Superliga. The club has once again sold some of its star players, but new young players are stepping up, and Søren currently considers them the best team in the Superliga. Frank and Søren also discuss the club’s growing ambitions, while Brøndby receives praise for its progress under the new coach. They are more critical of FC Midtjylland’s start to the season, while AGF continues to struggle to recapture last season’s form.

They then turn their attention to the rest of Scandinavia. Denmark has four clubs in the Conference League, while Norway has clubs in the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. For Frank and Søren, the trend is clear: Norway has already made significant strides at the national team level and is now also on the verge of overtaking Denmark at the club level. But they agree on one thing—the Norwegians must not be allowed to simply take the Danes’ place in the soccer hierarchy.

The new Champions League is also on the agenda. Frank and Søren are enthusiastic about the format, in which every match matters, and Frank is looking forward to PSV’s upcoming European adventures. It also brings back old memories from the Santiago Bernabéu, where Søren was once named the tournament’s best player.

Finally, here’s this week’s listener question: What do Frank and Søren think about artificial turf? There isn’t much disagreement here. Frank believes the DBU should set an end date for artificial turf in professional soccer, while Søren points out how differently the ball moves on the surface and what a significant home-field advantage it gives teams that train on it every day. Modern technology makes it possible to maintain natural grass fields at a high standard—and for that reason, top-level soccer should be played on real grass.

This brings the video call segments to a close for now. Season 2 begins on September 10, when Frank Arnesen and Søren Lerby will return to the studio and welcome a number of guests.