Show overview
The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 333 episodes, alongside 12 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 240 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 37 min and 48 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Sports show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 29 episodes already out so far this year. Published by The Athletic.
From the publisher
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.
Latest Episodes
View all 333 episodesLiverpool vs Man City preview + a guide to 'rest defence'
Premier League trends, surprises + disappointments so far
Spurs vs Aston Villa + the importance of pressing
Arsenal vs Chelsea + how to rebuild a squad
Villa vs Arsenal + who has had a quietly good transfer window?
Newcastle vs Liverpool + early season tactical trends
Canada at the World Cup: Can their tactics spring a surprise?
The World Cup's most tactically interesting teams
2025/26 Tactical learnings & set piece takeaways
How Pep Guardiola transformed the Premier League
Alternative Team of the Season
PSG’s brilliance & Arsenal’s immense defence
Where have all the goalscorers gone?
Bruno Fernandes: Creative genius
Man City vs Arsenal: The lowest quality title decider in years?
Who has the best attack in Europe?
Man United & England: How to build a complete midfield
This week, we’re discussing midfield combinations.From your creators, to destroyers; how do player roles complement each other?Let’s build a complete midfield!Host: Michael BaileyGuests: Michael Cox, Mark Carey & Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The impact of football’s relentless schedule
This week, we’re discussing football’s relentless schedule.What impact is it having on players and matches?And… can we measure whether football is actually more intense than it used to be?Host: Michael BaileyGuests: Michael Cox, Mark Carey & Liam TharmeProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have Premier League clubs really struggled in Europe?
This week, we’re discussing an enthralling round of Champions League Round of 16 ties.From Premier League struggles and Pep Guardiola’s European record, to how good Bayern Munich and Real Madrid really are.Host: Michael BaileyGuests: Michael Cox, Mark Carey & Duncan AlexanderProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Varying fortunes of recent managerial hires
In this episode, we’re discussing whether the appointments of Liam Rosenior at Chelsea, Michael Carrick at Manchester United and Igor Tudor at Tottenham Hotspur have paid off or not.What have they changed at their respective clubs, and are they better off for it? Host: Michael BaileyWith: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Cerys Jones.Producer: Steve Hankey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.