The Athletic FC Podcast

Chelsea were booed by their own fans away at Bournemouth on Sunday but are they actually playing better than results would suggest?Ayo is joined by Adam Crafton, Dom Fifield and Chelsea writer Liam Twomey, to talk about footballing 'projects' - What they really mean and if Chelsea are really built for one?Plus, why the fanbase still bear the scars of the Roman Abramovich era and the external pressure for 'Project Chelsea' to fail, because of all the excessive spending.Produced by Adonis PratsidesAdditional Production: Mike StavrouExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is alongside The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Carl Anka to reflect on Manchester United's 3-1 humbling defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday at Old Trafford.The panel not only analyse where things went wrong on the pitch for United, but also the difference in infrastructure and preparation behind the scenes at both clubs with Brighton set for the start of their first-ever European campaign this week.How both clubs are set up for, and approach the transfer window, football identities within their squads as well as the respective roles of Erik Ten Hag and Roberto De Zerbi are also debated.Produced by Guy ClarkeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Miller, Tim Spiers and Luke Bosher join Adam Leventhal to preview round five of the Premier League.They attempt to answer the weekend's big questions, such as: can Liverpool avenge the 3-0 defeat to Wolves from last season? Will Harry Maguire get the nod for an injury-hit Manchester United vs Brighton? And can Arsenal break their Goodison Park hoodoo after five consecutive winless trips?There’s also a review of the Athletic's Agent Survey which the panel discusses, as well as a quick preview from Seb Stafford-Bloor as the top two clash in Germany. ***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ATHLETICFOOTBALL• Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door with Drizly or Instacart by going to coorslight.com/COOLIGANS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following his public fallout with manager Erik Ten Hag, Jadon Sancho's Manchester United future looks uncertain.Host Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Adam Crafton and Dan Sheldon to explore and debate Sancho's spell at Old Trafford from the promise he showed in Germany prior to making the move through to the present day after being criticised for his performance in training by Ten Hag after Man Utd's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal prior to the international break.Raphael Honigstein also offers up the view from Germany on how things have panned out for the England international since leaving Dortmund for £73m back in 2021.Produced by Guy ClarkeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ATHLETICFOOTBALL• Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door with Drizly or Instacart by going to coorslight.com/COOLIGANS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Spurs actually better without Harry Kane? ... Of course not, but new manager Ange Postecoglu's personality and James Maddison's 'swagger' are certainly helping the club move on.Today, Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Tottenham writer Charlie Eccleshare and data writer Thom Harris, to discuss their fast start to the season - as well as - to urge a little caution after just four Premier League matches.How James Maddison became the new 'technical leader', why Big Ange is the perfect manager for Richarlison right now, why Bissouma and Romero feel like new signings, the stark contrast to last season under Antonio Conte and why it's so difficult to replace a talismanic figure like Kane.Produced by Adonis PratsidesExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ATHLETICFOOTBALL• Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door with Drizly or Instacart by going to coorslight.com/COOLIGANS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Italian writer James Horncastle to discuss a chaotic 12 months at Juventus including the news that Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after failing an anti-doping test & club legend Leonardo Bonucci is taking legal action against his former club.So what next for Paul Pogba, who has also had a difficult year both on and off the pitch? And, despite it all, can Juve bounce back this year?***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ATHLETICFOOTBALL• Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door with Drizly or Instacart by going to coorslight.com/COOLIGANS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor to debate Germany's decision to sack Hansi Flick ahead of hosting Euro 2024.The decision came following Germany's 4-1 defeat to Japan on Saturday evening with the panel assessing the merits of the decision before looking ahead to who could replace Flick and the state of the DFB ahead of hosting next summer's European Championships.Produced by Guy ClarkeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ATHLETICFOOTBALL• Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door with Drizly or Instacart by going to coorslight.com/COOLIGANS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Leventhal welcomes Nick Miller, Thom Harris, and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero onto our weekend preview show, this time with an international twist. That's right, it's the first international break of the season! Will England maintain a 100% winning record in European Championship qualifying as they take on Ukraine this Saturday? Which other fixtures are appealing? And, looking further down the line, what is the succession plan post-Gareth Southgate?We also bring you the up-to-date on the Luis Rubiales scandal, with Spain's World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda getting the axe this week. And finally, we go on a whistlestop tour of the transfer window - who were the winners, who were the losers, and which transfers left us scratching our heads? -The latest episode of the Athletic's Go Deeper podcast series charts Bukayo Saka's rise to two-time English player of the year and Ballon d'Or candidate. Follow the link here to listen now: https://theathletic.com/podcast/220-beyond-the-headline/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Ayo Akinwolere is alongside The Athletic’s Liam Twomey and Adam Crafton to dive deeper into the struggles of Mykhailo Mudryk at Chelsea.The Ukraine international was signed in January 2023, and has had three managers since then at Stamford Bridge; Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and now, Mauricio Pochettino.He’s yet to live up to expectations - failing to score a goal for the Blues since moving from Shakhtar Donetsk. But to what extent can his struggles can be attributed to the constant change at Chelsea, and how much responsibility does he need to take himself?Produced by Mike Stavrou.Additional Production: Jay BealeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/theathletic to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bayern are a club known for getting their transfer business done early but have they been left short - despite landing number one target Harry Kane?... And how did Thomas Tuchel react? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's German football writers Raphael Honigstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor, to reflect on Harry Kane's move to Germany and the impact of a long-drawn-out transfer saga on the rest of their transfer plans.Will they go back in for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha - who was taking pictures in a Bayern Munich kit before his move collapsed - this January. And did Kyle Walker use the German giants in order to negotiate a better deal at Manchester City?Produced by Adonis PratsidesAdditional Production: Jay BealeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/theathletic to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.