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The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

The Athletic
Premier League
Manchester City
Arsenal
Football Tactics
Liverpool
Champions League
Chelsea
Manchester United
Tactics
Aston Villa
Football
Tottenham Hotspur
Brentford
Set Pieces
Real Madrid
Nottingham Forest
Pep Guardiola
Pressing
Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1

The Athletic's weekly tactical preview of the biggest games across the Premier League and beyond that coming weekend. Take a deep dive into the data and analytics that shape the modern game with The Athletic's data writers Liam Tharme and Mark Carey, supported by the expertise of former England international Rob Green and host Kate Mason.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes336Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Sports

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Artwork for The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

Latest Episodes

It’s a big one this weekend as Arsenal travel to Merseyside to take on Liverpool. This comes following an all time classic upset after they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by fourth tier side Fleetwood Town.

Kate Mason is joined in the studio by... more

It’s a jam packed show this week as Kate Mason is joined in the studio by tacticos Liam Tharme and Rob Green to discuss all the weekend’s goings on, including a fierce London derby as Chelsea host rivals Spurs.

Plus, we’re joined by former Brighton ... more

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Tactical Preview focuses on one of the biggest games in Premier League history: Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The matchup has been given more significance after the news of City's guilty ruling, so how will the playe... more

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Recent Guests

Adam Webster
Former Brighton defender
Brighton & Hove Albion
Episode: Chelsea vs Spurs + how are Brighton this good?
Rob Green
Former England goalkeeper
Former England national team
Episode: Liverpool vs Man City preview + a guide to 'rest defence'
Duncan Alexander
The Athletics Managing Editor for Data
The Athletic
Episode: Premier League trends, surprises + disappointments so far
Jacob Tanswell
Aston Villa correspondent
The Athletic
Episode: Villa vs Arsenal + who has had a quietly good transfer window?
Ewan Sharp
Assistant coach of the Canada Men's National Team
Canada Men's National Team
Episode: Canada at the World Cup: Can their tactics spring a surprise?
Conor O'Neill
Tactics writer and contributor
The Athletic
Episode: The World Cup's most tactically interesting teams
Liam Tharme
Tactics and data specialist
The Athletic
Episode: The World Cup's most tactically interesting teams
Michael Cox
Football tactics writer, guest analyst
The Athletic
Episode: How Pep Guardiola transformed the Premier League
Mark Carey
Analyst from The Athletic's tactics and data department
The Athletic
Episode: PSG’s brilliance & Arsenal’s immense defence

Host

Michael Bailey
Host of The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast/Analytics-based football pundit with deep tactical and data-driven commentary.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 1.7k ratings
  • What is this show?

    Whatever it is, it’s no good. I miss the old version.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    lrhhrl
    United Statesa month ago
  • Terrible decision

    Not a good decision to fold this into a broad football podcast like all the others. Has been very good for a few years, not looking good now.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    London Educator11
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Too short for the amount of ads

    Doesnt feel worth the investment of having to press forward 30 secs a bunch of times

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    majsan1889
    Sweden8 months ago
  • Good content, shame about all the ads

    There’s been some excellent content on this podcast, but the flow is lost with the adverts for irrelevant content from the NYT.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Tony Burgess
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Good

    Michael Cox could change his attitude, and not always say that some team is bad or dull, thats not what to do on an informative podcast. Hoever, the teactics and analysis is still pretty good.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    aiden chen harry potter
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the rigorous tactical framing and data-driven analysis.
Ads and sponsorships are a frequent friction point for some listeners.
Audio mixing and pacing improvements have been called out by a portion of fans.
The quality of guests and depth of tactical insight are strong positives.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#107
United Kingdom/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#136
France/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#199
Italy/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#203
Australia/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#33
India/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#34
Ukraine/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Chelsea vs Spurs + how are Brighton this good?
Q: How are Brighton so good?
The panel points to Brighton's coordinated, relentless pressing, set-piece threat, goals from several players and strong defending. Webster says players press as a unit and support one another, while noting that direct play can challenge their approach.
Chelsea vs Spurs + how are Brighton this good?
Q: What's it like to play for Roberto de Zerbi?
Webster describes De Zerbi as passionate, candid and highly focused on patterns. Training involved repeated drills and detailed preparation, and Webster says players grew to appreciate the system and loved playing for him.
Arsenal vs Chelsea + how to rebuild a squad
Q: The question this week is, how many Spaniards can you name that have managed in the Premier League?
The hosts brainstormed and listed several Spanish managers, discussing the breadth of Spanish coaching in the Premier League while joking about the difficulty of exact recall.
Villa vs Arsenal + who has had a quietly good transfer window?
Q: How many 100 million pound plus transfers can you name?
A rapid-fire guessing game where the panel lists several expensive transfers, highlighting the breadth of big-money moves over the window and sparking dialogue about which signings might have the most impact.
Canada at the World Cup: Can their tactics spring a surprise?
Q: What does a typical day look like for you as an assistant coach in international football?
My day centers on opposition analysis, match planning, tracking dispersed players across leagues, sharing video content, and leading match plan meetings, while Jesse Marsh reviews and adjusts the plans. I balance planning with on-field training support and communication with players.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

What is The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show's discussions consistently center on football tactics, data-driven analysis, and strategic breakdowns of teams, managers, and players. Episodes explore trends across leagues, set-piece dynamics, pressing intensity, and squad construction, often featuring analysts from the same data-driven football department and high-profile tacticians. Noteworthy is the blend of deep tactical context with historical framing and practical squad-building ideas, plus regular appearances from respected writers and analysts who provide accessible yet rigorous insights for listeners who love football analysis and data. Potential listeners can expect thoughtful coverage of how systems evolve, how coaches implement ideas across 90 minutes, and how data in... more

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To see how many followers or subscribers The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast:

1. Tifo Football Podcast
2. The Athletic FC Podcast
3. The Totally Football Show with James Richardson
4. Libero
5. Football Weekly

How many episodes of The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast are there?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast launched 7 years ago and published 336 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast?

Recent guests on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast include:

1. Adam Webster
2. Rob Green
3. Duncan Alexander
4. Jacob Tanswell
5. Ewan Sharp
6. Conor O'Neill
7. Liam Tharme
8. Michael Cox

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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