The Athletic FC Podcast

On this week's episode of What If, we're diving into the 2021 European Super League project, which collapsed within a matter of days.

Host Emma Paton is joined by Matt Slater and Dan Kilpatrick to see what would've happened if the idea actually went ahead.

Could it have worked, what would it have meant for domestic leagues, the Champions League and the fabric of football?

Host: Emma Paton

Guests: Matt Slater, Dan Kilpatrick

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It’s Tactical Preview time, and this week our primary focus is Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in north London.

Kate Mason is joined by Rob Green and Liam Tharme to break down how Roberto De Zerbi’s side can try and score their first Premier League goal of the season.

Also on the agenda is Bournemouth vs Liverpool, Brentford vs Chelsea and what’s been behind Hull City’s incredible start to the season.

Manchester United's 15-year-old academy prospect JJ Gabriel has outlined his desire to leave.

To discuss why and how this situation has developed Kate Mason is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Matt Slater as well as former England goalkeeper Rob Green.

Andy Mitten, co-host, of Talk of the Devils also joins having watched Gabriel extensively at youth team level within the Manchester United academy system.

As well a...

Liverpool saw off Spurs on Tuesday night to make it two wins from two in the cup competitions, but Andoni Iraola’s side have just one Premier League victory so far.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic’s James Pearce and Cerys Jones, plus author of 'Data Game: The Story of Liverpool FC's Analytics Revolution', Josh Williams to get into whether Iraola’s team are adapting to his principles.

Plus, as Andy Rober...

Spurs have scored zero goals in their first four Premier League games this season. So why are Roberto De Zerbi's side struggling to find the back of the net despite their £300m summer outlay?

Emma Paton is joined by David Ornstein and James Horncastle to discuss why they're misfiring in front of goal. Tottenham correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke also drops by to discuss the issue.

David also answers questions from subscribers on ...

Erling Haaland settled the 199th Manchester derby with the only goal as Man City came away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 win.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Cerys Jones and former England goalkeeper Rob Green to pick through a controversial meeting.

Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell reflects on Michael Carrick's anger at the decision to allow Haaland's goal with former Premier League referee Graham Scott ...

Ahead of the Manchester derby, this week on What If... we're talking about Wayne Rooney and the hypothetical around whether he could have possibly made the switch across Manchester from United to City back in 2010.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke and Dan Kilpatrick, as well as Andy Mitten from Talk of the Devils to delve into Rooney's at times strained relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson

Our alternativ...

This week on the Tactical Preview we're looking ahead to the first Manchester derby of the season, as Manchester United welcome Man City to Old Trafford.

Kate Mason is joined by Rob Green and The Athletic's Thom Harris to analyse City's midfield having been reconstructed during the summer transfer window with the arrival of Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez.

The Athletic's Man City correspondent Sam Lee also ...

As the Champions League returns, a number of big match-ups have played out including Real Madrid taking on Inter Milan and Liverpool facing Atletico Madrid, but where is the jeopardy?

Kate Mason is joined by Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and Rob Green to analyse the growth and investment within the Champions League and discuss whether the change to the league phase format has led to a closed-shop for the clubs capable of winning the...

Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Inter in their opening Champions League fixture was far from convincing.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero to get into Jose Mourinho’s return to the Spanish capital, the panel discuss whether he’s the man to bring silverware back to the Bernabeu amid familiar problems to last season.

Plus, with the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or rev...

After seeing a late move for Folarin Balogun collapsed Everton have been left with 18 senior first team players, something manager David Moyes seems less than pleased by.

Emma Paton is with David Ornstein and James Horncastle to analyse Everton's transfer dealings, discuss why things played out in the manner they did - including looking likely to strike a deal to sell Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest.

The Friedkin Grou...

Arsenal made it three wins from three at the start of the new Premier League season, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates.

Emma Paton is joined by former England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic's Matt Slater to look back on the weekend's action.

Art de Roche shares his thoughts on Arsenal's attacking rotations on show against Chelsea, with Liam Twomey assessing how far off becoming title challengers Xa...

For episode two of What If... we're talking Chelsea's former owner Roman Abramovich - and the parallel universe where he buys Spurs, or even Arsenal, instead of the Blues.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Tim Spiers and Spurs writer Jack Pitt-Brooke and Chelsea writer Liam Twomey to delve into the influence of Abramovich and how he changed the game forever.

Our alternative timeline ponders what would happen to Chelsea, ...

Welcome back to the Tactical Preview, this week, our focus is on Arsenal vs Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Kate Mason is joined by former England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic’s Tactics writer Liam Tharme to analyse Xabi Alonso’s low-possession style from their first two games and how their potent attack could go about breaking down a stubborn Arsenal side.

The panel also discuss squad building...

This summer the Premier League smashed the record for spending within the division, with £1.7bn worth of transfers between Premier League clubs alone. 

Kate Mason is joined by Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and Rob Green to get into what this means for football here in the UK and why player prices are so high.

Plus, Tim Bridge, lead partner of Deloitte's Sports Business Group, drops in to talk about the impact on the wider ga...

The transfer window is now closed after another summer of truly bonkers spending. 

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein & James Horncastle to get into the deals that stood out and the deals that fell through, including Folarin Balogun's failed move to Everton that had repercussions for Chelsea.

Plus, the panel reveal their favourite signing of the summer, the transfer that made them double take and w...

Welcome to our Deadline Day coverage with The Athletic's transfer specialist, David Ornstein, hosted by Emma Paton. 

They are joined by football analyst JJ Bull and other The Athletic reporters to figure out what transfers could still happen and analyse the latest news.

Host: Emma Paton

Co-hosts: David Ornstein, JJ Bull, Seb Stafford-Bloor

Exec Producer: Adam Jones

Producers: Don Ma, Mike Stavrou 

Chelsea made it two wins from two against Brighton & Hove Albion, having scored seven goals in their opening two whilst also conceding five in that time.

Emma Paton is alongside former Chelsea and England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic's Cerys Jones to assess the Blues' chances of challenging under Xabi Alonso.

Elsewhere over the Premier League weekend, Manchester United got their first win of the season seeing off...

Welcome to the first episode of a new series on The Athletic FC Podcast: What If…

Every week, host Emma Paton will be joined by a selection of The Athletic’s writers to dive into monumental sliding doors moments in football’s recent history.

From Roman Abramovich’s interest in Spurs before buying Chelsea, to how the career of Brazil's Ronaldo might look if he had avoided serious injury.

On episode ...