The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes an entertaining football match? Loads of goals? Tactical battles? Tension?The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell pick five games from the Premier League this season with the highest and most evenly balanced xG they could find to see whether they can crack the code and determine the key ingredients needed for the ideal crowd-pleasing game.Game 1 - Arsenal 3 - 1 ChelseaGame 2 - Leeds 1 - 4 LeicesterGame 3 - Manchester United 6 - 2 LeedsGame 4 - Liverpool 3 - 0 LeicesterGame 5 - Newcastle 2 - 2 Tottenham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Michael Cox is away... The Athletic's Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell will delve into the Championship and pick out the most interesting stats and best players to watch from each of the 24 teams as we prepare to head full-steam into the business end of the season Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the international break upon us The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell thought it would be the ideal time to 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.There's also a look ahead to the forthcoming set of international fixtures and the Euros that loom in the summer - what is Southgate's best XI? Are we going to end up with a very similar team to 2018? Do the likes of Ollie Watkins or even Patrick Bamford have any hope of making the squad in the summer? And what's going on with Trent Alexander-Arnold? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by our new analytics writer Mark Carey to tackle the thorny issue of how we measure the performance of that most unique of positions - goalkeepers.Taking the lead from Mark's recent pieces on Kasper Schmeichel and Vicente Guaita we look at the various metrics we use to analyse goalkeeping performance, how useful they are at accurately assessing their performance, and we try to dispel some common myths around the importance of save percentages and distribution.And it wouldn't be a pod about goalkeepers if we didn't try to work out who should be England's no.1 for the Euros so we look at the numbers to try and work out whether Pickford, Pope or Henderson deserves the shirt for Southgate's side. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell set out to select an XI from across Europe's top five leagues consisting of players who are unique in their positions - whether it be a curious tactical style, strangely high or low stats compared to what you'd expect, or just the fact that they are ridiculously tall, this is Quite Unique FCSee if you can guess who we've picked from these clues:A veteran keeper who keeps it simple and is the best cheerleader aroundA right-back who would be more at home in 1992 than 2021A young Premier League centre-back who doesn't really tackle but also doesn't passA ball-playing centre-half from Serie A who loves to use his weaker footAn all-action left-back from Berlin who loves to surge forwardA decorated defensive mid who has quietly turned into an attacking midfielderAn Italian midfielder who plays like a young David SilvaThe most tactically diverse midfielder in EuropeA prolific Argentinean who has never scored for ArgentinaA 6ft7 striker with elegant feet on a hot streakA sleep-loving Spanish winger whose mother named her dog after her son's famous night on Merseyside Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to bring you the definitive guide to the many, many roles and positions you may find among attackers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are West Ham genuine top four contenders? Can Leicester do what they failed to last season and hang on to a Champions League spot? The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to examine the contrasting tactical approaches of the Premier League's gatecrashers and assess whether either side is the real deal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to preview the Champions League knockout stages which get underway on Tuesday night.Coxy has studied the tactics, Worville has mined all the data, and Ali will guide us through all the ties as we look at every single game and every single team left in the competition in detail.The Champions League last 16 in full:RB Leipzig v LiverpoolBarcelona v PSGSevilla v DortmundPorto v JuventusAtletico Madrid v ChelseaLazio v Bayern MunichAtalanta v Real MadridGladbach v Man City Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Leeds, Nîmes, Montpellier, Union Berlin, Elche, Nice, Freiburg, Brighton, Burnley, and Benevento all have in common?They're all mixing it with the big boys of European football in areas you might not expect. Punching well above their weight or standing out like a sore thumb when it comes to a whole host of different metrics.In this week's ZM pod The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to look at why these clubs and their players are among Europe's biggest statistical outliers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to delve into the world of running stats and explain the many different ways in which they are used in the modern game.We'll look at whether the 'distance covered' stats actually mean anything, at how intense pressing sides may end up running less than you think, and the role of tracking data in the recruitment process.Plus we consult the data to reveal which players top the sprinting, jogging and walking charts in the Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to tell us what Chelsea can expect from Thomas Tuchel, the tactical chameleon.We'll study his career to date starting with his first job causing a scene at Mainz, his first big gig at Dortmund where he pushed Bayern close but not close enough and then on to PSG who he guided to the Champions League final last season.There's a look at how Pep and Klopp influence his tactical style to differing extents, his preference for using his players in a variety of different roles, his knack for getting the best out of his strikers, and of course the big question is what he'll do with his under performing compatriots Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to assess the legacy that Mesut Ozil leaves behind at Arsenal as his seven and half year spell at the Emirates comes to an end.We remember the excitement which greeted his arrival, the way Arsene Wenger had to adjust to fit him in to a playmaker-laden squad, and of course all those assists.There's also plenty of discussion of how it all unravelled for Ozil at Arsenal, when and why did his numbers start to decline? Should he have lead the team to the title in 2015/16? Why didn't Emery or Arteta ever really trust him?All this plus further reminiscing on his career pre-Arsenal and a look at what could be in store for him in Turkey as he gets set to join Fenerbahce Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to bring you the definitive guide to the many, many roles and positions you may find in midfield.What's the difference between a 6 and an 8? What makes a true holding midfielder and is it different to the 'Makelele role'? Why do Argentineans love no.5s so much? What's the difference between an Enganche and a Trequarista? And what on earth is a shuttler?All these questions and more answered as the ZM pod goes box-to-box for the next fifty-five minutesSubscribe to The AthleticRight now you can enjoy the Athletic for just £3.99 per month as part of our January sale.Enjoy great analysis and in-depth features from the very best football writers around, as well as ad-free versions of all of our podcasts. Just go to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to explain what's going wrong with Frank Lampard's out-of-form Chelsea side from a tactical point of view.Why have they struggled to beat anyone above them? Why are they so easy to pass through? Is it all down to poor finishing from Werner and bad goalkeeping at the other end? What would be the ideal midfield with the players they have? What's the best role for Werner and Kai Havertz?These are just some of the questions being asked of Lampard at the moment and we've studied the data and the footage to deliver the answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell round off 2020 by looking at all 20 Premier League teams and picking at least one interesting stat, observation or quirk for each of them.You'll find out which team has taken the most throw-ins, the player has had zero touches of the ball in his own penalty area, which team is best at 'winning' offsides, and how about the team who have scored the most goals from outside the box but taken the second-most touches in it?All these and loads more statistical curiosities you never thought you needed to know, until now... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Big Sam really just a boring long ball merchant? The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell gather to look at the stats, the data and the evidence from Sam Allardyce's career in the aim of answering that very question.From his days as a pioneer of Pro-Zone at Bolton, to 'out-tacticing' Jose Mourinho with West Ham, through to his more recent great escapes with Sunderland and Crystal Palace, whatever you think of Big Sam there is certainly a bit more to him than the caricature suggests.All this plus a look at the situation facing him at his new club West Brom as they sit 19th in the Premier League having won just once this season but crucially still only five points from safety.Give the gift of The Athletic this ChristmasSubscribe to The Athletic and get a second subscription for free to give to someone as a giftHead to theathletic.com/fplpod to take advantage of this offer now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by our women's football writer Katie Whyatt to look at why Arsenal are struggling in the big WSL games this season after they lost to Manchester City at the weekend, a result which followed up failures to win against Manchester United and Chelsea earlier in the season.We look at how manager Joe Montemurro is responding to increased scrutiny in the face of these disappointing resultsThere's also a look at the WSL more generally as we assess the credentials of the other title challengers which include Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Mikel Arteta recently referred to Arsenal putting in 33 crosses in one game as "pure maths" it piqued the interest of The Athletic's resident analytical gurus Michael Cox and Tom Worville - what could Mikel mean by such a phrase and is this really a good idea?The pair join Ali Maxwell this week to look at why Arsenal have recently become obsessed with slinging the ball into the mixer and to take a broader look at the various problems besetting Arteta's side at the moment as they find themselves in 15th place in the Premier League after 11 games.We also get an informed take from Worville on Dominik Szoboszlai who has been heavily linked with the Gunners and it sounds like he could be just the player Arteta needs to breathe some much-needed creativity back into midfield.Subscribe to The AthleticSubscribe to The Athletic for access to all of Michael and Tom's brilliant writing as well as this podcast advert free - and right now if you sign up you get a second subscription to gift for freeHead to theathletic.com/zonalmarkingExclusive Virgin Wines DealFor this weeks partnership go to www.virginwines.co.uk/theathletic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell take an almighty leap into the stats to work out what sort of player Cristiano Ronaldo is right now in 2020 as a 35-year-old at Juventus.We know his game has changed dramatically since his early days coming through as a brilliant dribbler and speed merchant at Manchester United, and the assumption is that he's even changed quite a bit since his days as a ruthless goal machine at Real Madrid, but if you look at the numbers it seems that there may well be a bit more variety to Ronaldo's game since he's gone to Serie A than you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell are back with another tactical masterclass, this week casting their eye on some of the more unconventional roles and positions we've seen a host of players taking up this season in the Premier League and beyond.Has Nuno turned Wily Boly and Max Kilman into the first ever pair of inverted-centre backs? Pep Guardiola loves to conjure up interesting roles for his players and Joao Cancelo has gone from conventional right-back to what we're calling half-back over on the left.There's also a look at the roles Moussa Sissoko and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg are playing at Spurs dropping into the defence and doubling up out wide, and at Arsenal there's the ever versatile Bukayo Saka who's been playing almost everywhere.Michael and Tom give you their considered verdict on all of the above while Ali witters on about funky full-backs and Stuart Dallas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by Argentinean football expert Rupert Fryer to celebrate the career of Javier Mascherano as he announced his retirement this week after an outstanding 17-year career.We chart his career starting with the early days coming through at River Plate, his move to Corinthians in Brazil, that bizarre spell at West Ham before establishing himself alongside Gerrard and Alonso at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez.Our focus then turns to his time at Barcelona where things really got interesting as Pep Guardiola, either by luck or design, converted him into a centre-back with surprisingly effective results.There's also discussion of his storied exploits for Argentina, serial runners-up during his time with the national side but not without some memorable highlights along the way, chief among them that tackle on Arjen Robben in the World Cup 2014 semi-final, if you know, you know.Sign up to The Athletic for just £1-a-week for access to Michael Cox's brilliant tactical analysis - simply head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell for a whistle-stop tour across Europe to look at five unheralded teams who have found themselves in unexpectedly lofty positions in the league table so far. Starting on home soil with high-pressing Southampton.We also head over to Italy to look at a swashbuckling Sassuolo side who find themselves second in Serie A, before crossing to Spain to look at the surprising top two of Real Sociedad, who we think could be the real deal, and Villareal who are of course managed by Unai Emery.There's also a trip north of the border for some detail on Rangers, currently nine points ahead of Celtic, with The Athletic's Rangers correspondent Jordan CampbellWill any of these sides go the distance and deliver on their early promise? We look at the numbers and the eye test to give you our verdictYou can subscribe to The Athletic for just £1-a-week at the moment - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for access to Michael & Tom's unrivalled tactical & statistical analysis plus all the other brilliant content from our world class team of football writers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell for the second part of our series looking at the challenges of staying up after being promoted to the Premier League. This week we look at the various ways teams have gone about trying to establish themselves in their second season.Looking at how Leicester famously managed to win the league in 2015/16, back-to-back 7th placed finishes for Wolves, to Burnley's less heralded Europa League clincher in 2018, we examine what you need to do to thrive after you've survived.There's also plenty of cautionary tales too from the likes of Ipswich in 2001/02 to the Huddersfield side of 2018/19 plus teams like Bournemouth and Stoke who eventually went out with a whimper after appearing to have cracked it - what is it that these sides got wrong?Subscribe to The Athletic for access to Michael and Tom's unrivalled tactical and statistical analysis of the Premier League, Champions League and beyond - you can sign up for just £1-a-week by heading to theathletic.com/zonalmarking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to debate the various 'do's and dont's' for a maiden season in the top flight of English football... Is it better to sack or stick with the manager who brought you up? Discard the playing style and sure things up at the back? Splash the cash in the market or trust in the players who won so many games last year? The Zonal Marking team delve into the Premier League archives to find out... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to get a few things off their chests about the use of statistics in the general conversation around football.Do assists really tell us anything about creativity? Why do we harp on about manager win percentages? Does it really matter that Team A haven't won at Team B's ground for 27 years? And don't get us started on pass completion percentage.All these and loads more sloppy statistics are picked apart, but it's not just one big moan-fest as the guys also provide some suggestions as to how we can be smarter with the data in the future.Subscribe to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox and Tom Worville's unrivalled analysis of football from all manner of tactical and data-driven perspectives - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for just £1-a-month Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Sam Lee join Ali Maxwell to look at Manchester City's start to the season and assess the ways Pep Guardiola's side have changed their tactical approach since they last won the title.Why did they come up so short so often last season? What went wrong in the Champions League? Are there early signs of the same problems being an issue this season? Have we underestimated the loss of Leroy Sane and David Silva? Are we too quick to pounce on Pep at the first sign of anything going wrong?Sign up to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's brilliant tactics pieces and Sam Lee's unrivalled Man City coverage - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to subscribe for just £1-a-month Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox joins Ali Maxwell to assess what has been a goal-tastic start to the season in the Premier League as we head into the international break.They look at the numbers and the tactics to try and understand why there have been so many goals, high-scoring games and a distinct lack of 0-0 draws in the opening weeks of the season.Sign up to The Athletic now for just £1-a-month and get access to Michael Cox's unrivalled tactical analysis of the Premier League, Champions League and beyond. Just head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell for an in-depth look at one of the most iconic clubs in world football: AC Milan.Taking the lead from James recent behind-the-scenes piece on the club we cast our eye back through the history books to examine the great sides and coaches that built the legend, before examining the past decade of disappointment, and finally looking at whether the present day set-up is poised to bring restore the Rossoneri to its former glory as they prepare to move away from the famous San Siro.Subscribe to The Athletic to read James Horncastle's deep dive into AC Milan and his unrivalled coverage of Serie A just head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for just £1-a-month Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to profile every Premier League squad by average age, depth of quality and numerous other quirks along the way.Who is well-stocked across the pitch? Who are the unsung players who could have good seasons? Who could yet dip into the market for a bit more depth? All this and more answered in this week's ZM pod. Subscribe to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox and Tom Worville's unrivalled tactical & technical analysis including the piece this pod was based on: https://theathletic.com/2059611/2020/09/12/leeds-are-youngest-burnley-the-oldest-every-premier-league-squads-age-profile/Head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for just £1 a month Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right now we're offering listeners of this show the opportunity to try out The Athletic for just £1 a monthYou can enjoy all of Michael's great tactical analysis, including a recent article on how Bielsa's Leeds approached their first game back in the Premier League and another looking at why Chelsea repeatedly went route-one against BrightonJust go to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up for just £1 a month Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell ahead of Serie A returning this week for a look at the next generation of Italian midfielders, starting with a man some have compared to the legendary Andrea Pirlo - Brescia's Sandro Tonali.Tonali has been lighting up Serie A this season and drawing comparisons to Pirlo but is there more to his game than that comparison suggests?Elsewhere we take a broader look at the history of Italian midfielders - be they registas, fantasistas or medianos - and also run the rule over some of the other contenders aiming to grasp the midfield mantle for the Azzuri from the established figures of Jorginho and Marco Veratti to the emerging talents of Gaetano Castrovilli, Stefano Sensi, Nicolò Zaniolo and Nicolò Barella.Sign up to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's tactical musings and James Horncastle's Italian dispatches plus the best Premier League coverage you'll find anywhere - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 40% discount Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of La Liga returning this weekend The Athletic's Michael Cox & Dermot Corrigan join Ali Maxwell to look at current state of Barcelona. They discuss how recently installed manager Quique Setien is settling in, how his tactical approach differs from his predecessors, why they're more reliant on Messi than ever, why Griezmann hasn't really hit the heights yet, plus a wider look at what's to be decided in La Liga with ten matches remaining.Subscribe to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's unrivalled coverage of football tactics & trends - head to theathletic.com/zonalmarking for a 30-day free trial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by The Athletic's Bournemouth writer Peter Rutzler to look at what has been a disappointing season for Eddie Howe's side. We pick apart the tactics - which may not be quite as open & entertaining as they once were - and look at the individual players who will be key if the Cherries are to avoid relegation when the season returns. Sign up to The Athletic here to access Michael Cox's unrivalled tactical coverage of the Premier League and get a 30 day free trial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jose Mourinho spoke to The Athletic's James Horncastle last week for an exclusive interview looking back at his treble-winning Inter Milan side ten years on, so for this week's pod we got James together with Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell for a deep dive into that famous season looking at the tactics, the players and the stories from one of the great sides of the modern era.Subscribe to The Athletic here for access to Michael Cox's unrivalled tactics writing and get a 90 day free trial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by our resident Manchester City writer Sam Lee for a look at the tactical reasons behind City's failed title defence this season.Aiming to evaluate how much of an impact has the loss of Sane made, whether other teams have simply got better at playing through City's press, and assessing the pivotal relationship between De Bruyne and Aguero.Sign up to The Athletic here for access to Michael Cox's tactical musings and Sam Lee's unrivalled Manchester City coverage and get a 90 day free trial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's German football writer Raphael Honigstein joins Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell to look at the teams, coaches, and players to look out for when the Bundesliga returns this weekend.Rafa explains how Hansi Flick has turned Bayern's season around, how this Dortmund side compares to Klopp's famous team, and we look at the strengths & weaknesses of the clutch of sides chasing the top two including RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Sign up to The Athletic here for Raphael Honigstein's exclusive Bundesliga coverage and get a 40% discount Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are once again joined by our resident Spanish Football Writer, Dermot Corrigan, this time to give Athletic Bilbao the Zonal Marking treatment... A whole host of familiar names including Marcelo Bielsa, Aymeric Laporte and Inaki Williams, a truly unique recruitment policy and a history inextricably linked to English football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.