The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast
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The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast
Hosted by Michael Bailey, revered football tactics writer Michael Cox is joined by Mark Carey, Liam Tharme and more of The Athletic's brightest tactics and data department to break down the tactical and technical details behind the biggest footballing stories each week - assessing the latest trends,...
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295 episode
A guide to the 4-4-2 formation
This season there have been zero instances of teams starting with a 4-4-2 in the Premier League.
In the late 2000s the majority of teams lined...
Gundogan interview: Klopp vs Guardiola, Man City's treble & more
Iconic former Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan sat down with The Athletic's Jordan Campbell to discuss playing under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen...
Does Jude Bellingham get into England's best side?
Thomas Tuchel’s England team selection for the wins over Wales and Latvia got us thinking about star players and their value.
Phil Foden, Jude B...
Why goalkeepers are going long
Today we’re discussing the evolution of goalkeeper distribution.
Are teams actually going long more often, and how is it changing the game?
Why the promoted sides are so much better this season
Today we tackle the Premier League’s promoted clubs – who collectively, so far this season, are flying.
How are they doing it and more importan...
Has Guardiola actually changed his philosophy?
Pep Guardiola’s defensive tactics in Manchester City’s Premier League draw at Arsenal last weekend caused quite the stir.Was it a one off? Or has Guar...
Why has this season started so slowly?
There were a mere 19 goals across 20 games in the Premier League last weekend.
Which got us thinking — why so few? And is it partly to do with t...
Pressing 101: Why Arsenal and PSG are so good
In this special edition of The Athletic FC Tactics podcast - we focus on pressing. What does it involve in the modern game, which teams do it best - a...
Mavericks, Donnarumma & are Arsenal too cautious?
It’s the international break in men’s football and that means only one thing… mailbag time!
We’re going to answer your questions on all sorts —...
Why Amorim's Man United system isn't working
This week, we’ll tell you why Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system he insists on using at Manchester United, isn’t functioning.
And we’ll look at other...
Dowman and Ngumoha: The pathway for academy players
This week, we’re charting the journey from academy to first team football.
What are the main tactical challenges in making the jump, and how has...
Long throws & tall No.9s: The Premier League goes old school
One week of the Premier League season down, 37 to go.
And today we’re asking whether the English top flight has gone old school… with more long...
New-look Liverpool & pragmatic Spurs: Premier League preview
Welcome back to The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
We’re kickstarting the new season with our big Premier League preview show.
We’ll analys...
Creating the England DNA
On episode five of Football Architects we look at how England changed their fortunes from tournament failures to final makers - and in the women's cas...
The secrets behind football's data pioneers
On episode four of Football Architects, we hear from the architects of the data world, who have worked for the biggest football clubs in England.
Forging Croatia's Golden Generation
On episode three of Football Architects, we’re focusing on international football's great over-performers, Croatia.
We’ll hear from Romeo Jozak,...
How Belgium marched to world number one
On episode two of Football Architects, we’re focusing on the rise that took a stagnant Belgium to number one in FIFA’s world rankings.
We’ll hea...
How Cruyff inspired Ajax's rebirth
Welcome to Football Architects - a summer series for The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
Over the next five weeks, we’ll tell the stories of estee...
Are strikerless formations the future?
On this final show of the season, we’re bringing you the eagerly anticipated listener mailbag.
We’ll focus on strikerless systems, wing-backs vs...
Was the 2024/25 Premier League season boring?
On this week’s show, we’re reviewing the 2024-25 season - looking at statistical trends across the Premier League.
We’ll also focus on the team...
Champions League final preview
In this special edition of The Athletic FC Tactics podcast - Duncan Alexander, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme preview the Champions League final between I...
Alternative team of the Premier League season 24/25
In this episode, it’s alternative team of the season time!
To remind you of the rules, instead of focusing on the top teams - we all pick an ele...
Ancelotti, Conte and the tactics of Italian managers
In this episode, we’re talking Italian managers.
Specifically… Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
Ancelotti will be joining the Brazilian...
Arsenal’s long throws & the best knockout tie ever?
On this week’s show, we’re focused on the second legs of the Champions League semi-finals.
We’ll analyse a tie for the ages - Inte...
Yamal's new heights & PSG's press
On this week’s show, we analyse the first legs of the Champions League semi-finals.
We’ll discover how PSG’s press nullified Arsen...
Which teams deserve Champions League football next season?
This week we’re looking at an incredibly tight race in the Premier League to seal European football for next season.
And we’ll discuss which of...
Champions League final four
In this episode, we look back at the Champions League quarter finals.
We also look ahead to the semi-finals and discuss the merits of Arsenal,...
Where have all the French managers gone?
This week we’re focusing on French footballing identity.
And we’ll attempt to discover why there is a lack of French managers across Europe’s to...
How PSG became Champions League favourites
In this bonus edition of The Athletic FC Tactics podcast - Alex Barker and Liam Tharme tell you all you need to know about Luis Enrique’s PSG.
T...
How Forest have outsmarted the Premier League’s elite
This week… we’re talking about Nuno Espirito Santo’s Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest.
We’ll break down how a team who flirted with re...
How to win a football match
This week we’re focusing our attention on the metrics which win you football matches - other than goals and assists.
We’ll talk second balls, du...
Foreign International Managers
In this episode, we’re focusing our attention on international football.
German head coach Thomas Tuchel takes charge of his first games as Engl...
Who are the Champions League favourites now?
We’re focusing our attention on the Champions League.
This season’s competition is at the quarter-final stages — giving us the perfect moment to...
Are set pieces more important than ever?
This week we are breaking down the mechanics of set pieces.
Are they a reliable and consistent source of goals, how do you stop them, and which...
How every position has evolved
This week we are looking at how positions and roles on the pitch have changed over the past five years.
For example, what do No.8s do differentl...
How data and AI is shaping football
We have a special guest with us - Paul Power from sports data company, SkillCorner, joins us to chat about how clubs really use data in recruitment an...
Building the ideal modern day centre-back
This week we’re diving into the world of centre-backs!
What traits do they need in today’s game, what does a good partnership now look like… an...
Which January signing will have the biggest impact?
This week we are analysing the winter transfer window signings who could have a big, tactical impact on their clubs over the rest of this season and b...
Premier League analysed: A stat for every club
This week we are bringing you a Tactics staple - a key statistic for every team in the Premier League.
From Liverpool’s direct attacks to Cryst...
Tactically interesting teams to watch in 2025
This week we are all about the tactically interesting teams you should be looking out for throughout the rest of 2025.
What is it about them tha...