The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

Right now we're offering listeners of this show the opportunity to try out The Athletic for FREE. You can enjoy all of Michael's great tactical analysis, including a recent article on how Pep's decision to field a 'Mourinho Team', saw City crash out of the Champions League to Lyon.Just go to www.theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for a 30 Day Free Trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now we're offering listeners of this show the opportunity to try out The Athletic for FREE. You can enjoy all of Michael's great tactical analysis, including a recent article on how Pep's decision to field a 'Mourinho Team', saw City crash out of the Champions League to Lyon.Just go to www.theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for a 30 Day Free Trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sign up to The Athletic now for access to Michael Cox's tactical musings and Tom Worville's statistical masterpieces - including recent pieces breaking down the tactics that lead Arteta's Arsenal to triumph over Chelsea in the FA Cup final and why ball retention actually does matter a lot more than you may thinkHead to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30-day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein, James Horncastle and Dermot Corrigan join Ali Maxwell for a comprehensive look ahead to the return of the Champions League - looking at every single game on the schedule and all the potential storylines that could emerge from this truncated single-leg knockout format. It promises to be a furious festival of elite football and we've got every angle covered.We also dive into the Europa League with teams like Manchester United, Wolves, Inter, https://dashboard.simplecast.com/shows/ba079c3d-1cf0-42ea-9801-64f6137198c0/episodes/theathletic.com/steilcastpodRoma, Sevilla, Getafe and Leverkusen all still in the mix there is plenty to look forward to in that competition too.Sign up to The Athletic now for Honigstein, Horncastle and Corrigan's unrivalled Champions League & Europa League coverage - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30 day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were seven managerial changes in the Premier League last season, three of them at Watford, but did Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham, Everton and the Hornets make the right calls in sacking their managers?   The Athletic's Michael Cox joins Ali Maxwell to evaluate those decisions, to look at what's happened since the likes of Mourinho, Arteta, Moyes and Ancelotti took over at their respective clubs, and also to look at what lead to the departures of Pochettino, Emery, Pellegrini and Marco Silva. We're also joined by The Athletic's Watford correspondent Adam Leventhal to examine the chaotic season at Vicarage Road which started with Javi Gracia in the dugout, saw Quique Sanchez Flores return, only for him to be replaced by Nigel Pearson who then himself got the boot with two games still to play.Sign up to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's unrivalled coverage of football tactics and trends - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30-day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox joins Ali Maxwell for a look at the tactical increasingly fashionable trend of playing a back three this season after Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea all used the system last weekend in the FA Cup semi-finals.13 of the 20 Premier League sides have tried a three-man defence at some point this season, some like Sheffield Utd and Wolves have used it in different ways but to great success, and others like West Ham and Southampton found it more difficult, so we examine the philosophy, the type of players and the tactics required to make a back three work.Elsewhere Ali takes us down into the EFL with details of a spectacularly successful 3-6-1 system at Coventry and a League Two which is overflowing with three-man defences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox and James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell to assess Maurizio Sarri's first season at Juventus. On the verge of leading Juve to their ninth straight Serie A title, we look at how Sarri has measured up to expectations in Turin, how he has impressed his tactical philosophy on the squad, as well as how he's used key individuals like Cristiano Ronaldo, Aaron Ramsey, Matthijs de Ligt and Miralem Pjanic. Sign up to The Athletic for James Horncastle's unrivalled coverage of Serie A and Michael Cox's tactical insights - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30-day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox & Laurie Whitwell join Ali Maxwell to look at Manchester United's recent transformation from a struggling mid-table outfit into the Premier League's form side with attacking options aplenty.They look at how Solskjaer has managed to fit Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba into the same side, and how the individual roles they are all playing all knit together so wellElsewhere we study the re-emergence of Nemanja Matic as a crucial part of the team, plus the role of the full-backs, the Maguire-Lindelof axis at the back, the form of David De Gea and also how the rumoured pursuit of Jadon Sancho and a new striker could affect the squad next season.Subscribe to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's insightful tactical pieces and Laurie Whitwell's unrivalled Manchester United coverage - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30-day free trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox & Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to look at a perhaps underappreciated aspect of this all conquering Liverpool side - their possession game.  We dive into the data to analyse how Liverpool use the ball and the passing combinations they most rely upon.  Looking at how crucial Alisson is to starting the moves, how Van Dijk's passing differs from Matip & Gomez, how Trent Alexander-Arnold is able to dictate the play from right-back, the changing role of Henderson, the importance of Fabinho, the calmness of Wijnaldum and the creative skills of Salah, Mane and Firmino.Sign up to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox & Tom Worville's unrivalled tactical and data analysis. For a 30-day free trial head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Athletic's Michael Cox joins Ali Maxwell to look at the first batch of Premier League games under Project Restart and pick out the teams & players who have best adapted to the unfamiliar conditions - with a particular focus on Tottenham, Man Utd, Brighton, Newcastle and Southampton.Elsewhere The Athletic's Crystal Palace writer Matt Woosnam drops in to give us the lowdown on how Roy Hodgson continues to inspire impressive performances from the Eagles, plus we look at the impact of the new five subs rule, the unexpected benefits of drinks breaks, and how the players have been affected by empty stadiums.Subscribe to The Athletic for access to all of Michael Cox's brilliant tactics coverage and get a 40% discount - just head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices