The Athletic FC Podcast

Juventus have sacked Igor Tudor and are set to appoint Luciano Spalletti. With the ghost of Cristiano still haunting the club, are they in crisis? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: James Horncastle Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Jay Beale & Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunderland have enjoyed a dream start so far in the Premier League. Their win over Chelsea means they’re in the top four after nine games. 17 points from their opening nine Premier League games is the best return by a promoted club at this stage of a season since Hull City in 2008-09. So how have they done it? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Chris Weatherspoon, Phil Hay and Seb Stafford-Bloor Executive...

El Clasico was back to its fiery best on Sunday, as Lamine Yamal's pre-match comments sparked fury in Madrid. Has he reignited this famous fixture? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Andy Mitten, Pol Ballus, Guillermo Rai Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Jay Beale and John Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arsenal are top of the Premier League - four points ahead of Bournemouth in second. It was an important win for them against Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea also losing. Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded just three times in nine games, so does a solid defence win you titles? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Adrian Clarke and James McNicholas Executive Producer: Abi Paterso...

After eight games, RC Strasbourg sit 3rd in Ligue 1, two points behind league leaders Marseille and just one point behind European champions PSG. Today we’re bringing you a special episode sitting down with the man at the helm, Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior. In conversation with Ayo Akinwolere and Carl Anka, the panel discuss RC Strasbourg’s incredible start to the season, Rosenior's managem...

Welcome to The Preview on The Athletic FC, where this week our main focus is Aston Villa vs Manchester City. Stu James and Tim Spiers join Matt Davies-Adams to look ahead to Sunday's clash before turning their attention to the fixtures elsewhere including Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, Brentford vs Liverpool, Manchester United vs Brighton, and Everton vs Spurs. Host: Matt Davies-Adams With: Stu James...

Barcelona were set to play Villarreal in Miami in December. That’s now been cancelled. Today, we explain why. Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Dermot Corrigan and Matt Slater Featuring: James Horncastle Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life after Alexander Isak has been hit and miss for Newcastle. But in Nick Woltemade, have they already found the key to Newcastle's fortunes this season? And in terms of Isak, why is he struggling after that record-breaking £125million summer move to Liverpool? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Chris Waugh, Oli Kay, Andy Jones Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and John Rogers Host...

Manchester United’s first victory at Anfield since 2016 was a massive moment for the club. But how does Ruben Amorim ensure this isn’t another false dawn? The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell and Mark Critchley join host Ayo Akinwolere to discuss the win over Liverpool, Harry Maguire, Matheus Cunha, the Brighton fixture this weekend and Amorim’s future. Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Laurie Whitwell and Mar...

After just 39 days, Nottingham Forest have sacked Ange Postecoglou. He recorded no wins in his eight games in charge. Sean Dyche is set to succeed him, will he do any better? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: David Ornstein, Paul Taylor and Dan Kilpatrick Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we speak to one of the best players to have graced the Premier League, İlkay Gündoğan. The iconic former Manchester City midfielder sat down with The Athletic's Jordan Campbell to discuss playing under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, City's treble-winning team and his future plans. With: Jordan Campbell & İlkay Gündoğan Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and Paul Il...

Welcome to The Preview on The Athletic FC, where this week our main focus is for many, the marquee match up in English football, Liverpool vs Manchester United. Oli Kay and Megan Feringa join Matt Davies-Adams to look ahead to Sunday's clash before turning their attention to the fixtures elsewhere including Fulham vs Arsenal, Spurs vs Aston Villa, and the hotly anticipated Crystal Palace vs B...

The transfer window may not be open but the industry is still moving behind the scenes. So what do agents actually do? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by the Athletic’s Stu James and James Featherstone, agent of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Stu James and James Featherstone Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

England are heading to the World Cup, and typically it’s thanks to captain Harry Kane. So how important is he to their chances next summer? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Charlie Eccleshare, Seb Stafford-Bloor Featuring: Rob Green Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and John Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early September, Daniel Levy stepped down from his role as Spurs chairman after nearly 25 years. So who is running the show now? And are Spurs for up for sale? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Matt Slater, Jay Harris and Dan Kilpatrick Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and John Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week marks 15 years of FSG ownership at Liverpool In that time they've won two Premier Leagues and a Champions League.  So, how did Liverpool become a modern superclub? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Simon Hughes and Matt Slater Featuring: Peter Moore and Dr Ian Graham Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

This week’s Athletic FC Tactics podcast discusses the evolution of goalkeeper distribution.  Are teams actually going long more often? Are goalkeepers throwing the ball less? And how is it changing the game? Host: Duncan Alexander  With: Michael Cox and Mark Carey  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re seven games into the 25/26 Premier League season and Arsenal sit top, Wolves are the only side yet to register a win and Sunderland are 9th!? Carl Anka and Tim Spiers join Matt Davies-Adams to assess all 20 Premier League teams' respective starts, asking whether they’ve answered the big questions that surrounded them prior to the new season. Host: Matt Davies-Adams With: Carl Anka, Tim Spier...

Seven games played: five defeats, two draws, no wins. Statistically the worst start by any Nottingham Forest manager for a century. Ange Postecoglou is battling to keep his job at Forest, despite only having four Premier League games in that time. So, how did things get so bad so soon? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Paul Taylor and Charlie Eccleshare Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Cla...

It’s been a year since Thomas Tuchel signed up as England manager.  He’s had six games to make his mark so far, with the World Cup just eight months away. So how prepared are the Three Lions? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: David Ornstein and Jack Pitt-Brooke Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and John Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So far, this season we’ve had… long throws, rugby-style kickoffs and big lads up front. So why has the Premier League gone old school?  Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Mark Carey, Oli Kay and Thomas Grønnemark Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Mike Stavrou and John Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liverpool had a perfect start after record spending, but now they've lost three in a row. So why is Arne Slot’s Red Machine mis-firing? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: David Ornstein and Simon Hughes Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jurgen Klopp  is  back in football but not as a manager. In January, he began work as global head of soccer at Red Bull. Our very own Adam Crafton sat down with the former Liverpool boss at the New York Red Bulls’ training facility in New Jersey. They discuss all things Red Bull, the future of football and why he closed the chapter on his coaching career. Host: Ayo Akinwolere With:...

Welcome to The Preview on The Athletic FC, where this week our main focus is the red card loving blues of Chelsea versus the no longer red hot reds of Liverpool.  Stu James and Megan Feringa join Matt Davies-Adams to look ahead to Saturday’s clash before turning their attention to the fixtures elsewhere including Arsenal vs West Ham and Manchester United vs Sunderland. Plus after losing 3-2 t...

Eight games into his Liverpool career Florian Wirtz is yet to score or assist. So why the slow start and how long will he take to adapt to the Premier League? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Seb Stafford-Bloor and Kev Hatchard Executive Producer: Abi Paterson Producers: Guy Clarke and Paul Iliffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.