Talking Tactics

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool's chances of going unbeaten, as we enter 2020, and they are yet to lose in the Premier League. Then we get into a longer discussion on VAR, and how this new system England created has altered what we understand the offside rule to mean. After that, some quick hits on Ibrahimovic to Milan, and Haaland to Dortmund. After which we take your questions on Willian, styl...

Talking Tactics discuss Carlo Ancelotti, Everton, and Moise Kean. The Champions League Round of 16 ties were drawn on Monday, we discuss them and give our first impressions. Manchester City went to Arsenal and won 3-0, Kevin de Bruyne was spectacular, but can he do it on the biggest stage one member asks... We end the show with a longform discussion on Arsenal Fan TV (AFTV), Simon Jordan, TalkSpor...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester City's current season, as Pep Guardiola searches for answers. Why do Manchester United play well against "top" clubs? Arsenal finally win a game! Are Chelsea regressing to the mean? In Europe: The Bundesliga is poised, why/when would Juventus sack Sarri, and can Lille beat Chelsea in the Champions League. Your questions on Ljungberg, Pep, Rashford, and the Top 4....

Talking Tactics discuss Lionel Messi winning six Ballon d'Or awards. Arsenal sacking Unai Emery. Manchester City drop points, Liverpool keep winning. Chelsea 0-1 West Ham: Lampard's first wobble. Manchester United need a new manager, or Carl might hurt someone. Euro 2020: What is a "group of death," and might Buffon play? The Premier League and Amazon are coming together: What does it mean? Then w...

Talking Tactics discuss Tottenham appointing Jose Mourinho, and should Chelsea fans really be salty? Manchester United and Sheffield United's 3-3 draw. Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea; What does "playing well" really mean? Liverpool insist on drama. When do Arsenal to sack Emery? Also: Neymar is back, Bale gets whistled, Lukaku the goal machine, Flamengo win the Copa Libertadores, and the UCL restarts...

As the decade comes to an end, Talking Tactics discuss the 2010s. Starting with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and going through the years until present day. There were many events, too many to name, but to pick a few: Mourinho's Inter treble, Chelsea's 2012 miracle, MSN, Real Madrid taking four Champions League titles in five years, Steven Gerrard's slip, Brazil's 7-1 humiliation at the hand...

Talking Tactics are joined by A1 (from Have Hope's Sunday Hangouts) to discuss Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City. What are these new handball rules? Is the title race even a title race, and are Leicester City and Chelsea contenders? What is happening with Arsenal? Who should they hire if Emery is sacked? Bayern smacked Dortmund again, why do we still have hope for these games? Payet dominated Lyon. Ha...

Talking Tactics discuss Bayern Munich sacking Niko Kovač: Does Mourinho, or Wenger, make sense to hire? Should Barcelona also be searching for a new manager? Liverpool continuing their late heroics. Manchester United are taking Ls: Is Ole on thin ice? Emery's odd managerial decisions. Who will make the Premier League's Top 4 (revised edition). In Serie A, Mario Balotelli reacted to racist abuse: W...

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham: Are Liverpool being resilient too often? Carl gives his first-hand account of Southampton 0-9 Leicester City, and Have Hope vets new words for his dictionary. Christian Pulisic scores a hat-trick, Daniel expounds on why he thinks Chelsea really bought the American. Arsenal fans v Granit Xhaka and Unai Emery. Granada top of La Liga... What happened t...

Talking Tactics discuss the racist incident during Haringey v Yeovil Town: Should players leave if subjected to abuse? Then Arsenal's loss to Sheffield United, and the future of Unai Emery. Manchester United getting a point against Liverpool. Do Chelsea have a golden generation in the making? Also, how formidable is Messi-Suarez-Greizmann? The Bundesliga table continues to be close. Then we take y...

Talking Tactics are joined by Paul Ansorge (of the United Rant) to discuss gambling in football. How the gambling industry operates in daily life in the United Kingdom, how it affects different people differently, and the extent to which gambling has embedded itself into British culture. The conclusion asking: Is its presence ultimately harmful? If so, does it need to be reversed, and could it be...

Talking Tactics discuss Tottenham losing (all week), and the future of Pochettino's project. Manchester City lost to Wolves: Is the gap with Liverpool too large? Manchester United are in a state of disrepair: who is to blame, what can be done, and how fast? Inter lost: Are nine straight Serie A titles for Juventus a reality, or too soon? Hazard scored his first Real Madrid goal. Does anybody want...

Talking Tactics Episode 50 was taken down for copyright reasons, but there was an important segment in the show we've always intended to re-post; one regarding black footballers, and incidents of cardiac arrest. Recorded the day after the death of former Ivory Coast international and Newcastle United star Cheick Tioté (aged 30), Carl and Daniel spoke about why we see these incidents, and why they...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal: Why are these teams struggling? John Barnes has been in the media with frequency in the past few weeks discussing race, in ways many are finding problematic, we discuss him and his talking points at length. After, we take your questions on La Liga without Lionel Messi (with a few comments on the Madrid Derby and Eden Hazard's weight), Kevin De...

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Why is Kante disrespected? Arsenal winning with 10 men. Manchester City persecuting Watford 8-0. Manchester United's tough start. Inter Milan winning the Milan Derby. Barcelona losing to Grenada, while Karim Benzema's Real Madrid took out Sevilla. The tight Bundesliga table. Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain heroics. Then we take que...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester City's loss to Norwich City. How Guardiola reacts to losing. Playing from the back. Is Emery right for Arsenal? Silly stats. Abraham's hat-trick against Wolves + his international future. Ansu Fati's great performance for Barcelona vs. Valencia, and Messi relationship. PSG ultras jeering Neymar. Champions League having poor scheduling. Then we take your questions...

Talking Tactics discuss racism in football. In the past weeks Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, and others have been racially abused on social media; we discuss Twitter, and what happens on social media. Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, and Cagliari fans persistent racism. John Barnes telling Jadon Sancho about "real racism." Graeme Souness' comments on Everton's Moise Kean. And w...

Talking Tactics discuss the North London Derby. Chelsea's Tammy Abraham. Manchester United splitting points with 10-man Southampton. Manchester City and Liverpool winning. Do Mané and Salah have beef? Juventus and Napoli's seven goal thriller. BVB dropping points. Atletico Madrid's threat to Real Madrid and Barcelona. Eric Cantona's cryptic UEFA speech. The Champions League (and Europa League) gro...

Talking Tactics are joined by JujuMan (from Have Hope's Sunday Hangouts) to discuss the early signs Liverpool and Manchester City are showing, and who should prioritise what. Then a look at the rest of the top six. Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United all lost. Chelsea finally win. Then a look around Europe. From Italy, to Germany, to Spain, and France, before taking your questions, and a sma...

Talking Tactics discuss Liverpool's win against Southampton. Philippe Coutinho moving to Bayern Munich on loan. Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. Is VAR being used correctly/too much? What's up with Pep Guardiola? Arsenal's fire power, and Dani Ceballos' impressive debut. What's happening with Frank Lampard (a.k.a. The Rookie) and Chelsea? And lastly your questions on Jay-Jay Okoc...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester United beating Chelsea 4-0. Is it a blessing for Chelsea? What does it mean for Manchester United? Liverpool beat Norwich 4-1: were the newly promoted side too ambitious? Manchester City raided West Ham United 5-0, but VAR was the major talking point. Also, what is offside really? The Neymar saga continues, and we tackle your questions and comments to close out t...

Talking Tactics discuss Manchester City winning the Community Shield over Liverpool. Borussia Dortmund beating Bayern Munich the German Sup Cup. How good is Jadon Sancho? Transfer grades on Nico Pépé, Harry Maguire, Moise Kean, Gary Cahill, and Allan Saint-Maximin. Paulo Dybala’s future. Malcom to Zenit: Why he’s been let down by all parties. A quick Ligue 1 preview, and our Premier League Top 6,...

Talking Tactics discuss Arsenal’s strong links with Nicolas Pépé. Is the right wing a place they should be directing funds? Real Madrid tell Gareth Bale he cannot move to China. Eden Hazard is being bullied for his weight. Does the FIFA cover athelte matter? Romelu Lukaku is wanted by Inter Milan: Is it smart for Manchester United to sell him? Then we take your questions on the Community Shield, M...

Talking Tactics are joined by RED (from Have Hope's Sunday Hangouts) to discuss the Gareth Bale saga. Should Bale demand his money? Is Zidane right to call Bale out publicly? Is Hazard being "out of shape" a big deal? Will Paul Pogba play the 2019/20 season with Manchester United? AFCON finished with Algeria as champions. Were there any good finals this year? Mahrez for Ballon d'Or? Then we tackle...

Talking Tactics discuss what AFCON 2019 means for Algeria, ahead of Friday's final vs. Senegal. Antoine Griezmann's €120 million move to Barcelona is official. We discuss whether Neymar will be follow the Frenchman from Paris Saint-Germain. Is Harry McGuire worth £80 million, and what should Manchester United's expectations be in the market? Then we tackle some of your questions on Souness' transf...