The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell are back with the second of our big Euro 2020 previews and this time we cover the second side of the draw with groups D, E and FPlenty to get stuck into here as England find themselves in group D with Croatia, Czech Republic and of course Scotland.Could Sweden be one of the tournaments 'dark horses' in Group E with Spain, Poland and Slovakia?And we've got the official Group of Death with France, Portugal, Germany and Hungary in Group FWe look at every team in-depth and pick out the player to watch for each side - the perfect way to set yourself up for the start of the tournament in a few days time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell for the first of our big Euro 2020 preview pods and we kick things off with groups A, B and C.Michael has watched many hours of footage to bring you his considered take on every team and Worville has been scouring the data to try and unearth the key player to watch for each side.So if you want to learn more about the tactics and the players of Italy, Wales, Switzerland, Turkey, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia, Austria, Netherlands, Ukraine and North Macedonia then step right this way! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode originally went out in March but seeing as we're having a week off to prepare for our massive Euro 2020 preview episodes next week we thought we'd kick this back up the feed for any of you who may have missed it first time round. Enjoy!The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell travel back to summer 2018, to the hazy days of waistcoats and wasted pints, as Gareth Southgate's England came within twenty minutes of a World Cup final. We all remember the penalty shoot-out and the Trippier free-kick, but were England actually any good in that tournament?Cox and Worville have looked at the footage and the data to determine whether Southgate's Three Lions were worthy semi-finalists.We look at the supposed lucky draw, the reliance on set pieces and penalties, plus pick out some highlights featuring the likes of Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard that you've probably forgotten about by now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Ali Maxwell look ahead to Saturday's Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea from a tactical and analytical perspective.Can we learn anything from the two games they've played against each other recently? Will City stick with their strikerless approach or throw in Jesus or Aguero? Which of Chelsea's array of attackers are best suited to exploit City's high defensive line?All this and more as we study the game from all manner of tactical angles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell gather to offer their distinctive take on football's traditional end of season awardsTasked by Ali with picking an alternative team of the season, with the stipulation being that they can't pick any players who got more than one vote in The Athletic's writers poll, Tom and Michael have picked the players they think have gone under the radar this season and were perhaps more deserving of a bigger share of the votes.As well as the teams we go through a few alternative categories of our own including Tactical Change of the season, Underrated Player of the Season and the inaugural Zonal Marking Data Darlings award.DO YOU LOVE FOOTBALL MANAGER? WE'VE GOT THE PERFECT EVENT FOR YOU...Join The Athletic's Iain Macintosh on May 25th for the ultimate Football Manager masterclass.Sports Interactive's Tom Davidson will deliver a top level briefing on the secrets of FM21 and then former Rangers, Aston Villa and Birmingham manager Alex McLeish will be in the studio to pass on some real life lessons from nearly 25 years in management.There are top prizes to be won too, not least the opportunity to take on McLeish in a live streamed, winner-takes-all game of FM21.Your ticket will give you full access to the Football Manager Masterclass. This includes an audience quiz and a chance to take on Alex McLeish in a live streamed Football Manager game. You will also get top tips and game insight from Sports Interactive insider, Tom Davidson and a touch of football management reality from Alex McLeish. All for £7.link.dice.fm/masterclass Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October the 15th, four games into the Premier League season, we released a pod titled 'How does Guardiola get Man City back on top?' - they were struggling and looked miles off the pace.Eight months later they have won the Premier League at a canter and have reached the Champions League final - so how has Pep done it and how does this side compare to the title winners of 17/18 and 18/19?The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell look at the tactics, the numbers, the key performances & performers to get to the bottom of City's title-winning campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell have called time on Fulham and West Brom's stay in the Premier League and all but consigned them to the Championship for next season along with Sheffield Utd, so what went wrong for them this season?Why have they been the worst three teams in the Premier League and what are their respective chances of bouncing back next season?And we also look at whether Norwich and Watford's immediate return to the top flight could give this season's basement boys any hope for the 2021/22 season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell complete their quest to classify every possible position and role on a football pitch with the third and final edition of the ZM pod footballing glossary, this time focusing on defenders and goalkeepers.What's the difference between a libero and a sweeper? When is a back three really a back five? Should the outside centre-backs in a three man defence be called full-backs? Is Joao Cancelo the modern half-back? What is the opposite of a sweeper keeper?All these questions answered and more as we journey deep into the the defensive third Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's Zonal Marking pod is a European Super League Free Zone, come shelter from the storm with The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville as they take a deep dive into that most quintessential part of the English game - crossing.Tom has scoured the data to look at how effective crossing is in the modern Premier League, how many teams focus on it as a main source of attack, which players are best at it, and the best positions to cross the ball from.You won't believe how many time Aubameyang has crossed the ball without getting an assist! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race to qualify for the Champions League looks set to be the most exciting thing about the run-in as we approach the end of the Premier League season.Leicester, West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are all still in contention with eight games remaining.The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell have studied the form and the data to give you their considered take on each team's chances of making it into those sought-after top 4 spots Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices