Covid's grip on the Premier League's neck appears to be tightening again with Manchester United the latest to successfully appeal for a game to be called off. A new variant is in play, cases are on the rise and there are concerns that matches could once again return to being played behind closed doors. We discuss the scenario everyone dreads.

Over in Switzerland, UEFA, to the amusement of many, cocked up the Champions League draw. They got it right at the second time of asking allowing us to pick our ties of the round. We also discover live on air that the Europa League, like an onion, has many, many layers.

Elsewhere in football, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy leading many to ask how many more retro kits the club will drop to make things up to fans. There's also time for a quick chat about Conor Gallagher - the latest Chelsea academy kid to shine - and, on the eve of his retirement, some reflections on Sergio Aguero's career.

There's only one place to start after the break - the madcap end to the Formula 1 season. Were we enthralled? Did we get angry? Did we sleep through it? You'll have to listen to find out.

Chess makes the cut for a second week in a row (blame Wogan) and we make our pick for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award.

After 115 episodes, dating back to June 2019, we end with a final 'And Finally'. We're not saying goodbye forever, but we're certainly going to take a break for a while as we get to grips with more pressing real-life matters.

Thanks for listening over the last two and a half years, it's been a blast.

Big love and Merry Christmas. Allen and Wogan.

We might be going on a bit of a hiatus, but do subscribe to make sure you don't miss out on our triumphant return, because that would be a damn shame, wouldn't it?

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And your co-hosts...

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It's been a while since a Premier League club has succumbed to Covid but with a clutch of cases in Conte's camp, Spurs have had matches with Rennes and Brighton postponed. Against the backdrop of vaccine passes being introduced for match-going fans in England, the arrival of winter has once again underlined that we're not out of the grip of this rather tedious pandemic.

Rather than get too down about things, we instead focus on the great week enjoyed by Divock Origi. With legend (and meme) status already assured, the Liverpool striker continues to lead a curious existence at Anfield, popping up with late winners for Jurgen Klopp whenever he fancies. Given he's only 26, we're in awe at how long he might go on like this.

Elsewhere in football, it was a terrible week for retro fashion brand Arsenal who found time between merch drops to lose four football matches in the space of a week. The men went down at Manchester United and Everton while the women, during recording, were hammered by Barcelona having lost the FA Cup final to a Sam Kerr-inspired Chelsea. After dissecting the mess at the Emirates, we pay homage to the Aussie who followed up her Wembley heroics with a lesson in how to deal with pitch-invaders.

After the break, we look ahead to the exciting finale of the F1 season. Will it be Max or Lewis who takes the title in Saudi Arabia? And will Andrew actually watch for once? No comment.

We end the show with a Wogan TED Talk about unionization in American sports before dumbing things down with some awful takes on chess. Yes, chess. Did we pay lip service to the Ashes? You'll have to listen to find out.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

Robert Lewandowski had to settle for a sympathy award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony as Lionel Messi pipped him to the big one on a night when Jorginho took bronze as the best player in the world. We chew over the criteria behind a controversial list that had Mo Salah down in seventh.

Back in England, Newcastle United underlined their credentials for the drop with another limp performance, this time against Arsenal. Can they find salvation in the January transfer window or will players be put off the prospect of a spell in the Championship?

Things are suddenly looking a little rosier at Manchester United. The Red Devils stunned everyone by making the savvy appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim coach. It looks great on paper but we're still scratching our heads trying to figure out how his consultant role plays out when another coach takes on the full-time position.

Elsewhere in football, Sp*rs lost to the lowest-ranked team in the Europa Conference League before snow forced the cancellation of their clash with Burnley. For the US-based Lilywhite who'd travelled 31 hours to be at Turf Moor that came as a bit of a shock.

We end part one with a trip to Dublin where Cathal took in the FAI Cup final and then head to Portugal where Primera Division side Belenenses took on Benfica with just nine men in their starting lineup.

After the break, it sounds like Novak Djokovic might not take part in the Oz Open because he's not vaccinated against Covid. We wonder if that's a decision he'll come to regret. We then turn our attention to cricket's coin toss conundrum and golf's big grudge match between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan