Stay ConnectedThe Athletic’s flagship football podcast, hosted by Ayo Akinwolere and featuring the likes of David Ornstein, Phil Hay, Adam Crafton and Matt Slater will take you inside the biggest stories in football told by the best reporters in the business. We cut through the noise to tell you what’s really happening – and why it matters.
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With just six points separating Nottingham Forest in 3rd and Aston Villa in 10th, European football is up for grabs in the Premier League.
Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic's football writers Tim Spiers and Nick Miller to discuss which side needs European qualification the most.
After wins midweek, Manchester City and Chelsea sit 4th and 5th respectively, are any of the chasing pack consistent enough to earn Champions League football?
With Manchester United and Tottenham languishing in the bottom half of the table, which clubs are eyeing up the Europa and Conference League?
Host: Adam Leventhal
With: Tim Spiers, Nick Miller
Featuring: Paul Taylor, Sam Lee, Liam Twomey, Chris Waugh, Jacob Tanswell
Editor: Nick Thomson
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Jay Beale
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After a week in which they were dumped out of the Champions League and given a dose of reality by Liverpool, Man City got back to winning ways, beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 courtesy of Erling Haaland on his return from injury.
So, with Haaland back from injury and their new recruits bedding in is the City rebuild not as big a job as we thought it might be?
Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Man City correspondent Sam Lee as well as Jack Pitt-Brooke to analyse City's performance at the Tottenham Hotspur season before assessing the state of their squad rebuild.
New signings Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez are all discussed as well as the ageing spine of Guardiola's dynastic team before questioning whether the Spaniard can return City to their previous standards?
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Sam Lee and Jack Pitt-Brooke
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Guy Clarke
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Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio couldn’t save Aston Villa last night as they lost 4-1 away at Crystal Palace.
The two marquee signings were brought in to boost Unai Emery’s side at the business end of the season.
But are Rashford & Asensio the solution to Villa’s problems right now?
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Jacob Tanswell & Rory Smith
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Mike Stavrou
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Last season marked the first time since 1998 that all three promoted Premier League teams were relegated.
It looks like history may repeat itself this season, after another miserable weekend for Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton.
So will all three go down?
And if so, what does it say about the gap between the Premier League and the Championship?
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Stu James & Phil Hay
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson
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Liverpool have moved 11 points clear in the Premier League title race with Mohamed Salah leading the way in their 2-0 win over Manchester City.
His goal and assists are edging him towards records set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Mohamed Salah is one of the Premier League’s Greatest but could he be THE greatest?
Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Oli Kay, who was at the Etihad on Sunday for The Athletic as well as Simon Hughes, author of Chasing Salah: The Biography of Mohamed Salah.
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Oli Kay and Simon Hughes
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Guy Clarke
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Ever thought about how elite football clubs actually go about using data to analyse and recruit players?
Well, The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast has the answers you need.
Paul Power from sports data company, Skillcorner, joins the show to chat about how clubs really use data in recruitment and analysis.
Plus… what the future could hold in terms of football’s relationship with AI?
Host: Michael Bailey
With: Michael Cox, Mark Carey and Paul Power
Producer: Mike Stavrou
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Manchester City host Liverpool on Sunday in what could be a decisive game in this season’s title race.
Pep Guardiola will be hoping to fix Manchester City’s out of possession problems, that contributed to them being dumped out of the Champions League midweek.
After consecutive draws away from home in the Premier League, can Arne Slot’s side make a statement at a ground they have won just once at in their previous 15 attempts?
The Athletic’s senior data analyst Mark Carey and data writer Thom Harris join Matt Davies-Adams to preview Sunday’s clash.
Plus we check in with the club podcasts across The Athletic FC, setting you up for the big fixtures elsewhere.
Host: Matt Davies-Adams
With: Mark Carey, Thom Harris
Featuring: James Pearce, Sam Lee
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Jay Beale
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On a night Man City had no margin for error, Kylian Mbappe took away any hope scoring his first hat-trick at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid.
With his treble, the Frenchman became just the fourth player to score a Champions League knockout hat-trick for Madrid following in the footsteps of the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Karim Benzema and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.
So can Mbappe reach Cristano Ronaldo's levels at Real Madrid?
Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Real Madrid writer Guillermo Rai and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero to analyse the win over Man City and how fair Carlo Ancelotti's side can go in this season's Champions League.
Plus, French football writer Tom Williams drops by to discuss Mbappe's evolution and his use of speed through his career.
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Guillermo Rai, Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero and Tom Williams
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Guy Clarke
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Defeat at Spurs last weekend left Manchester United in 15th place in the table
Next up they take on a resurgent Everton managed by the first person challenged with bringing back the good times at Old Trafford.
So from David Moyes to Ruben Amorim, United seems to be stuck in a cycle of underperformance.
So what is preventing them from moving forward?
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Adam Crafton, Oli Kay, Carl Anka & Charlotte Harpur
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Mike Stavrou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Premier League’s financial rules will still be in place for next season despite plans to change them.
Teams like Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle blame these rules for stopping them spending heavily on new players.
So why the delay for the new rules?
And how exactly do they impact clubs and their summer transfer plans?
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Matt Slater & Jacob Whitehead
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
Producer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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