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PODCAST

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.

sports soccer,

All Episodes

39:15

Why are defensive midfielders scoring so many goals?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/11/13

This week, we’re tackling the defensive midfield position.How has it evolved, who does it best and why are they suddenly scoring loads of goals?Host: Michael BaileyWith: Michael Cox and Mark CareyProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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48:04

Champions League notebook

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/11/06

The Champions League returned this week with some huge clashes and intriguing results.So, at the halfway point of the league phase — how are the favourites shaping up, and who has caught our eye on Europe’s biggest stage?Host: Michael BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducers: Mike Stavrou, Ben Green & Steve Hankey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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38:57

How to fix Liverpool

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/30

The defending Premier League champions have lost four league matches in a row.So, where is it going wrong for Arne Slot’s Liverpool — and crucially, how do they fix their issues?Host: Michael BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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37:38

A guide to the 4-4-2 formation

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/23

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 up in a 4-4-2 - but since then, that figure has been steadily dropping.We find out why.Host: Michael BaileyWith: Mark Carey, Liam Tharme and Michael CoxProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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34:27

Gundogan interview: Klopp vs Guardiola, Man City's...

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/19

Iconic former Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan sat down with The Athletic's Jordan Campbell to discuss playing under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, City's treble-winning team and his future plans.With: Jordan Campbell & İlkay GündoğanExecutive Producer: Abi PatersonProducers: Mike Stavrou and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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37:54

Does Jude Bellingham get into England's best side?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/16

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 Bellingham and Jack Grealish were left out of the squad by Tuchel, despite their “star status”.When building a team, what is the priority; star players, or players who fit the system?Host: Michael BaileyWith: Mark Carey, Liam Tharme and Michael CoxProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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33:18

Why goalkeepers are going long

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/09

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 AlexanderWith: Michael Cox and Mark Carey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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35:46

Why the promoted sides are so much better this season

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/10/02

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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36:35

Has Guardiola actually changed his philosophy?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/09/25

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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34:18

Why has this season started so slowly?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/09/18

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrouhttps://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6633559/2025/09/16/premier-league-signings-goals/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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30:31

Pressing 101: Why Arsenal and PSG are so good

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/09/15

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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44:41

Mavericks, Donnarumma & are Arsenal too cautious?

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/09/11

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou & Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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36:40

Why Amorim's Man United system isn't working

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/09/04

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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36:18

Dowman and Ngumoha: The pathway for academy players

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/08/28

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 BaileyWith: Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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38:31

Long throws & tall No.9s: The Premier League goes old...

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/08/21

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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43:56

New-look Liverpool & pragmatic Spurs: Premier League...

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/08/14

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 BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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57:17

Creating the England DNA

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/07/31

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 hereHost: Michael BaileyWith: Jacob Whitehead and Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou and Abi Paterson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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38:28

The secrets behind football's data pioneers

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/07/24

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 BaileyWith: Jacob Whitehead and Mark CareyProducer: Mike Stavrouhttps://pod.fo/e/2fe33bhttps://pod.fo/e/2fe34e Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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43:12

Forging Croatia's Golden Generation

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/07/17

On episode three of Football Architects, we’re focusing on international football's great over-performers, Croatia.We’ll hear from Romeo Jozak, theformer 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-croatia-football-overperformers Host: Michael BaileyWith: Jacob Whitehead and Juraj

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53:48

How Belgium marched to world number one

The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast ·

2025/07/10

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/6445749/2025/07/10/football-architects-inside-belgium-rise-world-number-one/ Host: Michael BaileyWith:

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