The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

Have been souring on the podcast for a while. I followed because I have enjoyed Michael Cox’s work on the history and development of football tactics - a presence sorely lacking from the show these days. Let me clearly state, I am not one of these people who is “against” analytics. What I am against is the overuse of analytics in the same way that former player “insider analysis” has long been overdone. I tuned in to hear a podcast about the three horse title race, looking forward to the historical context, and to ACTUAL REPORTING based on sourcing from the clubs; and, what I got was 40 minutes of OPTA stats. It is lazy. Journalists have adopted “analytics” which are used - and actually analyzed and applied by clubs. What this show, and many other podcasts and journalists now, does is take the work of others - like OPTA - and regurgitate without any attempt to expound upon or expand the information provided by the data. I’m not saying I’ll never listen again, but I don’t need this in my feed weekly.

I love the podcast, especially when you breakdown lesser-known teams that have interesting/novel tactics. I’d really enjoy a podcast about Fluminense’s tactics. They do some interesting things, and I’d love to hear the guys chat about them. Keep up the good work. A new episode is one of my favorite things to see on my feed.

Excellent! Look forward to this every week. I’ve been watching the Premier League, other European leagues and national teams for over a decade and consistently listening to this podcast for about 6 months has enhanced how I view tactics, formations, different players, etc. Keep up the great work!

My favorite football podcast, and it’s not even close. I have to say, it’s so refreshing to hear a “smart” football show whose host/analysts AREN’T sneering in condescension at the audience. Instead, everyone is eminently reasonable, and dare I say likeable. And as a longtime Michael Cox fan, I’m so glad there’s somewhere I can listen to him strut his stuff away from the Totally Football dorks. 5/5, great stuff!