The Athletic FC Podcast

Last season marked the first time since 1998 that all three promoted Premier League teams were relegated.It looks like history may repeat itself this season, after another miserable weekend for Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton.So will all three go down? And if so, what does it say about the gap between the Premier League and the Championship?Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Stu James & Phil HayExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liverpool have moved 11 points clear in the Premier League title race with Mohamed Salah leading the way in their 2-0 win over Manchester City.His goal and assists are edging him towards records set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.Mohamed Salah is one of the Premier League’s Greatest but could he be THE greatest?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Oli Kay, who was at the Etihad on Sunday for The Athletic as well as Simon Hughes, author of Chasing Salah: The Biography of Mohamed Salah.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Oli Kay and Simon HughesExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever thought about how elite football clubs actually go about using data to analyse and recruit players?Well, The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast has the answers you need.Paul Power from sports data company, Skillcorner, joins the show to chat about how clubs really use data in recruitment and analysis.Plus… what the future could hold in terms of football’s relationship with AI?Host: Michael BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Paul PowerProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester City host Liverpool on Sunday in what could be a decisive game in this season’s title race. Pep Guardiola will be hoping to fix Manchester City’s out of possession problems, that contributed to them being dumped out of the Champions League midweek. After consecutive draws away from home in the Premier League, can Arne Slot’s side make a statement at a ground they have won just once at in their previous 15 attempts? The Athletic’s senior data analyst Mark Carey and data writer Thom Harris join Matt Davies-Adams to preview Sunday’s clash. Plus we check in with the club podcasts across The Athletic FC, setting you up for the big fixtures elsewhere. Host: Matt Davies-AdamsWith: Mark Carey, Thom HarrisFeaturing: James Pearce, Sam LeeExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Jay Beale Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a night Man City had no margin for error, Kylian Mbappe took away any hope scoring his first hat-trick at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid.With his treble, the Frenchman became just the fourth player to score a Champions League knockout hat-trick for Madrid following in the footsteps of the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Karim Benzema and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.So can Mbappe reach Cristano Ronaldo's levels at Real Madrid?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Real Madrid writer Guillermo Rai and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero to analyse the win over Man City and how fair Carlo Ancelotti's side can go in this season's Champions League.Plus, French football writer Tom Williams drops by to discuss Mbappe's evolution and his use of speed through his career.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Guillermo Rai, Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero and Tom WilliamsExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defeat at Spurs last weekend left Manchester United in 15th place in the table Next up they take on a resurgent Everton managed by the first person challenged with bringing back the good times at Old Trafford.So from David Moyes to Ruben Amorim, United seems to be stuck in a cycle of underperformance. So what is preventing them from moving forward?Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Adam Crafton, Oli Kay, Carl Anka & Charlotte HarpurExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League’s financial rules will still be in place for next season despite plans to change them.Teams like Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle blame these rules for stopping them spending heavily on new players.So why the delay for the new rules?And how exactly do they impact clubs and their summer transfer plans?Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Matt Slater & Jacob WhiteheadExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday night Chelsea suffered a fourth defeat in eight Premier League games, going down 3-0 away to Brighton & Hove Albion.Having slipped from fourth to sixth, frustrations have come to the fore including from star player Cole Palmer.So, has Maresca ball gone flat?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Chelsea writer Liam Twomey and senior football writer Oli Kay to analyse Chelsea's recent shortcomings, discuss the form and contributions of Palmer as well as assess whether or not Chelsea are improving under Maresca.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Liam Twomey and Oli KayExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The self destruction derby? The banter bout? El Calamitico? The Athletic’s Manchester United writer Carl Anka and Tottenham writer Jack Pitt-Brooke join football writer Tim Spiers and host Adam Leventhal to preview Tottenham vs Manchester United. With the sides sitting 13th and 14th respectively, who will be holding the crisis baton come Sunday evening? Plus we check in with some of the club podcasts across The Athletic FC, setting you up for the big fixtures elsewhere. Host: Adam LeventhalWith: Carl Anka, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Tim SpiersFeaturing: James McNicholas, James PearceExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Jay Beale Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Goodison Park’s final Merseyside derby delivered with James Tarkowski popping up with the stoppage time equaliser for Everton in their 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders, Liverpool.Despite the draw sending Arne Slot's side seven points clear at the top of the Premier League could the draw at Goodson disrupt their title charge?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Stu James and Andy Jones to pick the bones out of the Merseyside derby, the context of the wider title race as well as the run of games to come for Slot's side.Arsenal writer James McNicholas also joins to discuss the impact of Kai Havertz's hamstring injury for Arsenal, given Mikel Arteta's side are the closest challengers to land the Premier League title.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Andy Jones, Stu James and James McNicholasExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.