Talking Tactics

Talking Tactics discuss Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona in El Clásico. Aubameyang's post-Arsenal revival. Dembélé bearing fruit. Vinicius' dive, and what are the chances Real Madrid wear black in the Bernabéu again? Manchester City and Liverpool were drawn in the FA Cup. Crystal Palace will play Chelsea in the other semi-final, thanks to Everton. Have Hope thinks the media enabling of Lampard is mostly...

Talking Tactics discuss the Champions League exploits of Robert Lewandowski. Karim Benzema and Real Madrid sending Paris Saint-Germain into question. Cristiano Ronaldo is a gunman. Harry Kane is a gunman too, but to what end? And before we take your questions we had a good debate about whether Chelsea fans begging for Saudi owners should be frowned upon, or if it's simply part of the game. Think a...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester City comprehensively beating Manchester United. Where was Cristiano, and would he have helped? Liverpool keep pace with Man City. Arsenal are top four with games in hand on those above and below. Chelsea beat Burnley. Reece James v Trent Alexander-Arnold is a debate topic for the next decade. Where does Maxwell Cornet get his hair cut in Burnley? PSG lose to nice...

In our sixth Emergency Communication, Talking Tactics discuss Roman Abramovich's announcement he will sell Chelsea Football Club in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.   Think about being a TT patron... https://www.patreon.com/join/talkingtactics Rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts! https://www.getpodcast.reviews/id/1127264410 Follow Talking Tactics https://www.twitter.com/taIkingtactics ht...

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool beating Chelsea in the League Cup final. Should Kepa have replaced Mendy, and about Mount's missed chances. Can Liverpool win a quadruple? Man City left it late against Everton, are they wobbling? Man United dropped points, is it time to re-think Raganick? Conte's doing the hokey-pokey. Are Barcelona Spain's best team right now? Serie A title race is red hot. Sané...

Talking Tactics discuss Tottenham beating Manchester City, and how it cracks the door for Liverpool. Have Hope gives Harry Kane some back-handed praise, and we give Spurs credit for being perhaps the most entertaining club in England. If Lukaku only touches the ball seven times, is that a Tuchel problem, a Lukaku failure, a combination of both, or something else? Aubameyang scored a hat-trick in h...

Talking Tactics discuss Senegal beating Egypt in the AFCON final. Are penalties ever a great way to end a competition, and were Egypt asking too much to win three shootouts? Have Hope explores the psychology of penalties with Mané, and the ramifications of the loss on Salah. The celebrations in Senegal were amazing. Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, completing the list of hon...

Talking Tactics discuss Chelsea beating Tottenham, and why Spurs fans should feel as disappointed as Antonio Conte. Are we starting to see the real Hakim Ziyech? Have Hope thinks Lukaku has messed himself, and Daniel thinks Chelsea the football club are simply messy. We take your questions on VAR decisions. Liverpool v Crystal Palace. AFCON storylines with Nigeria, Comoros, Cameroon, and Burkina F...

Talking Tactics discuss why Manchester United having an older team with a philosophy that demands a lot physically is misguided. Was the Rangnick plan too ambitious? Coutinho balling for Aston Villa. Carl talks about Ghana at AFCON 2021. Have Hope talks about Nigeria at AFCON 2021. Daniel asks questions about AFCON 2021. Why are there three Gunieas? Man City beat Chelsea 1-0, was Lukaku really tha...

Talking Tactics discuss Arsenal losing in the FA Cup. Should non-league clubs celebrate consolation goals against Premier League clubs (see Chelsea 5-1 Chesterfield)? Coutinho to Aston Villa, what was his Barcelona career about? We know why you're at Newcastle, Kieran. Why did Abraham leave Chelsea? Mourinho is attacking Roma players again. Would you want a "Pan-African Cup of Nations?" Who are th...

Talking Tactics discuss the situation Romelu Lukaku created by doing an interview with Sky Italia about his love for Inter Milan and his summer transfer to Chelsea. Is there a quick way back for Lukaku into the Chelsea squad. Should Tim Howard's texts be public? Do supporters love their club more than they love football? And we take your questions on why Man City are so good, where Crystal Palace...

Talking Tactics are joined by Zach Lowy (of Breaking the Lines) to discuss FIFA destroying the World Cup. Arsenal’s youth revival. Zach’s love of Portugal. Chelsea having no squad, and needing more in attack. Kane and Robertson’s red card decisions. Can Inter touch Liverpool if they play like they did vs. Spurs? Will Juventus get Top 4? Who are these Barcelona children? Hazard is scared. And your...

Talking Tactics discuss UEFA messing up the Champions League draw, and which teams benefited from the redrawing of the teams. How the Premier League weekend was decided by penalties. Has Thomas Tuchel ever had to create an attack? What do we think about the Ralf Rangnick project at Manchester United? So you can invade the pitch at women’s football without consequence; what part of the game is that...

Talking Tactics discuss Chelsea losing to West Ham United, and mistakes made by Mendy. Origi coming clutch for Liverpool. Silva is balling for Manchester City. Are we living in a film about Fred? Xavi with Barcelona is a risk that needs time. Is this final form Vini? Can you call a referee corrupt if they’ve been caught before? Inter look strong. Lens draw PSG. Have Hope’s math, and more Pele foot...

Talking Tactics discuss the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony. Simon Kjaer's placement. The early 1990s (Neymar, Hazard, and Pogba) letting us down. Jorginho placing third. France Football inventing an award for Lewandowski. Messi winning his seventh golden ball, and what, if anything, it means for his legacy. Also, the differences between the best of all time (BOAT) and the greatest of all time (GOAT)? L...

Talking Tactics are joined by friend of the pod A1 to discuss Manchester United sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and why they were a month late. Who should they target to be their next full-time manager. A1 talks about Liverpool beating his beloved Arsenal, and if Arteta indeed “won” the would-be battle between him, Lampard, and Solskjaer. Also where are they gonna get goals from if Aubameyang is the...

Talking Tactics are joined by friend of the pod RED to discuss the Paris Saint-Germain's women's team, and Aminata Diallo apparently being falsely accused of setting a trap for her team-mate Kheira Hamraoui, and what Eric Abidal may have to do with this. How would we split 48 World Cup nations, Spanish football needs a good Barcelona, and what it means to be an older fan, from one's level of passi...

Talking Tactics discuss Barcelona hiring Xavi. Is this the right time for him to manage Barça, and why hiring club legends (i.e. Pirlo and Lampard) isn't always the right move. Real Madrid social media quickness. In the Manchester Derby, City outclass United; where do United go since Solskjaer has no immediate replacement. Moyes has West Ham top three; revisionism time! What's wrong with Mané? Tuc...

Talking Tactics are joined by friend of the pod Forward to discuss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United surviving another scare, winning 3-0 at Tottenham Stadium, damning Nuno in their wake. Spurs sacked Nuno on Monday, allowing Antonio "Suffer" Conte to return to England; is that a good idea? Arsenal are in good form. Chelsea gain points on Liverpool and Manchester City. Mourinho is showing...

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool trashing Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford. Is this the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; and if so what might United look like with new management? Salah continues his red-hot form. Chelsea drub Norwich 7-0. Phil Foden is for real. Vinicius shines in El Clasico, and Barcelona fans run up on Ronald Koeman. There was too much football on Sunday to have a complete u...

Talking Tactics are joined by Forward to discuss Manchester United losing to Leicester City. Where is Solskjaer's end? Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life, where does he rank? Chelsea struggled vs. Brentford, where are the issues; plus the re-emergence of Loftus-Cheek. Newcastle United's new owners watch their first game. Electronic Arts won't be making FIFA anymore: what's next for football...

Talking Tactics discuss France 2-1 Spain in the UEFA Nations League final. Is the Nations League important, or is it too early to tell? How Luis Enrique is improving his reputation as a manager with Spain. The Benzema and Mbappé narratives gain momentum as they score in the final. Belgium in the mud. Neymar doesn't see himself playing past the 2022 World Cup; is there anything deeper? Newcastle Un...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester City beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Loftus-Cheek's resurgence. Should Solskjaer be in hot water, and should Cristiano be taking penalties over Bruno? Brentford hold Liverpool. Tottenham were worked by Arsenal in the North London Derby: is there a way forward for Spurs? Barcelona aren't yet in crisis; also, Ansu Fait is back! Bundesliga check-in. Lazio beat R...

Talking Tactics discuss Messi being substituted against Lyon. Cristiano doesn't run out of goals. The passing of Spurs and Chelsea legend Jimmy Greaves. Have Chelsea and Tuchel reached the point of investigation? Has Sadio Mane's storm passed? What does Ashley Barnes do for fun? Allegri should have stayed away from this Juventus project. Benzema continues to perform with his young Real Madrid side...

Talking Tactics discuss Atletico getting the big boy treatment in La Liga. Have Hope explains why he's been right about Benzema the whole time. Camavinga's debut. Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford and bagged a brace. Lukaku followed suit at Stamford Bridge. Mohamed Salah is certified. Juventus are now a Top 4 contender. We're not talking about Roma yet, but congratulations to Mourinho on...