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, systems, players, managers and all manner of statistics in order to give you a deeper understanding of the game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Today we’re discussing the evolution of goalkeeper distribution.
Are teams actually going long more often, and how is it changing the game?
Host: Duncan Alexander
With: Michael Cox and Mark Carey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today we tackle the Premier League’s promoted clubs – who collectively, so far this season, are flying.
How are they doing it and more importantly, can they sustain it?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Guardiola’s philosophy been slowly changing in front of our eyes?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 the influx of new signings creating unfamiliarity and uncertainty?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6633559/2025/09/16/premier-league-signings-goals/
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 - and worst - and how has it changed from when it was just called ‘closing down’.
Host Duncan Alexander is joined by Mark Carey and Liam Tharme to discuss.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
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 — iPads, subs, mavericks and more!
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou & Paul Iliffe
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 examples of managers who seem wedded to just one system - can that approach really work?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 the transition changed over time?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 throw-ins than ever, “proper” No.9s and promoted sides threatening to be competitive…
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome back to The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
We’re kickstarting the new season with our big Premier League preview show.
We’ll analyse the key tactical talking points, managerial changes and the new entrants to the English top flight.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
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 case, winners. Hear from the man who brought about the culture change and brought back pride to the Three Lions.
Every episode will also have a written piece on the website, which we will link here
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Jacob Whitehead and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou and ...
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.
Every episode will also have a written piece on the website, which we will link below.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Jacob Whitehead and Mark Carey
Producer: Mike Stavrou
On episode three of Football Architects, we’re focusing on international football's great over-performers, Croatia.
We’ll hear from Romeo Jozak, the former academy head and technical director of Dinamo Zagreb and technical director of Croatia from 2013-17.
Every episode will also have a written piece on the website, which we will link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6445372/2025/07/17/football-architects-croat...
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 hear about how they established a footballing DNA, and created a team of legendary players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and many more.
Every episode will also have a written piece on the website, which we will link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6445749/2025/07...
Welcome to Football Architects - a summer series for The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
Over the next five weeks, we’ll tell the stories of esteemed footballing nations and clubs, speaking to the unsung heroes who changed history.
Today’s episode is focused on Ajax’s rebirth and how the club was rebuilt in the image of legendary figure Johan Cruyff.
Host Michael Bailey will be joined by The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead a...
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 full-backs and much, much more.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
On behalf of the entire Tactics team, thank you for all of your entries and your support this season. Please complete our listener survey: https://forms.gl...
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 teams who impressed us, and those who disappointed us.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Listener survey: https://forms.gle/atPcQnohDvRWQG2M7
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
In this special edition of The Athletic FC Tactics podcast - Duncan Alexander, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme preview the Champions League final between Inter and PSG.
Two teams with contrasting styles meet in the final in Munich - so we break down how we think this one might play out.
Host: Duncan Alexander
With: Mark Carey and Liam Tharme
Producer: Mike Stavrou and Liam Warburton
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 eleven with one player from each of the bottom 10 teams in the Premier League table (as it stands on Thursday 22nd May) and then one “wildcard” player - basically one other player from the bottom half clubs.
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam Tharme.
Produc...
In this episode, we’re talking Italian managers.
Specifically… Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
Ancelotti will be joining the Brazilian men’s national team this summer, drawing his second spell at Real Madrid to a close.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte could be about to win the Scudetto with a third Italian club… potentially adding Napoli to his successes with Juventus and Internazionale.
Broadly speaking, Ancelotti has been...
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