Pep's Innovation, Lukaku's System & Ralf's False Start: Premier League Notebook

There's more to Wilder's Sheffield United than overlapping centre-backs: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by football data analyst Jay Socik - aka Blades Analytic - for an in-depth look at the tactics that Chris Wilder has deployed in getting Sheffield United to 7th in the Premier League, and how they've evolved over time by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

51 min listen

Sean Dyche's Burnley - It's a long 'PASS' not a long 'BALL': The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by our Burnley correspondent, Andrew Jones, to dispel a few myths about Sean Dyche's Burnley and tactically dissect their 'throwback' style of play. Is there a ceiling to Dyche's tactics? Would Dwight McNeil and Nick Pope stand a better chance at selection for the England Euro 2020 squad at another club? And without a single Premier League red card this season - have we got them all wrong? by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

40 min listen

How Ajax have adjusted to life after De Ligt & De Jong: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by Dutch football expert Priya Ramesh to examine how Ajax have adjusted to life after losing two of their star players last summer in Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, looking at their replacements, Ajax's fortunes in Europe, and the future of their much-admired coach Erik Ten Hag Sign up to The Athletic today for all of Michael's tactical insights... Get a 40% discount by visiting the athletic.com/zonalmarking by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

40 min listen

Assessing Frank Lampard's tactical nous: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by our Chelsea writer Liam Twomey to analyse the tactical approach Frank Lampard has taken so far in his inaugural season as a Premier League manager, with a particular focus on how he has tackled the games against the other 'top 6' teams by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

41 min listen

Is Jose Mourinho actually a defensive manager?: The Athletic's Michael Cox, Ali Maxwell and Liam Twomey examine Jose Mourinho's career from Porto, through Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, right up to Man Utd, with a particular emphasis on how his style of play has evolved over the years and what that might tell us about how his Spurs reign will pan out. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

45 min listen

The tactical evolution of Jurgen Klopp: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by The Athletic's resident German football writer Raphael Honigstein for a look at the managerial career of Jurgen Klopp and how his tactics & philosophy have evolved from his days conquering the Bundesliga with Dortmund to his current outstanding Liverpool team. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

38 min listen

What new tactics might we see from Pep Guardiola when football returns?: Earlier this week Michael Cox joined The Athletic's Manchester City podcast 'Why Always Us?' for a chat about his recent written piece where he proposed some potential tactical tweaks Pep Guardiola may choose to experiment with when football returns, and we thought regular Zonal Marking listeners would appreciate hearing Michael explain, among other things, why he thinks Kevin De Bruyne would make a good right-back or why Pep could make Rodri into a number 10, so here it is. Enjoy! by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

25 min listen

1998/99 Rebooted: Alberto Zaccheroni's AC Milan: The Athletic's Michael Cox & James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell for a look back at Alberto Zaccheroni's Milan side of the 1998/99 season, featuring players such as George Weah, Zvonimir Boban, Leonardo and of course Paolo Maldini. A campaign which saw them clinch the title in a thrilling race with Lazio & Fiorentina that went right down to the wire. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

44 min listen

Harry Kane’s evolution and how Spurs cope without him: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by our Spurs writer Charlie Eccleshare for an in-depth look at Harry Kane and how his game has changed in the years since his breakthrough in 2014, and we also assess the tactical options at Jose Mourinho's disposal after Kane's torn hamstring looks set to keep him out for a lengthy spell. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

43 min listen

How Arteta has changed Arsenal: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell analyse the key tactical features of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal so far during his first 10 games in charge - looking at the way he's used the players at his disposal, to what extent he's mirrored the approach of Pep Guardiola, and whether what we've seen so far could tell us much about what his team might look like next season. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

40 min listen

How Ancelotti has transformed Everton: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by our resident Everton expert Patrick Boyland to look at the tactical changes Carlo Ancelotti has made during his reign at Everton so far, how he has attempted to fix some of the problems he inherited from Marco Silva, while also casting their eye back on Carlo's long and storied career as a top level manager Sign up to The Athletic now for all of Michael Cox's tactical musings and get a 40% discount at theathletic.com/zonalmarking by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

50 min listen

How did the 7-1 affect Brazilian football?: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by The Athletic's Brazilian football writer Jack Lang to examine how the 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final affected Brazilian football; breaking down the details of the match itself, how the nation dealt with the aftermath, and how the team have tried to rebuild since. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

43 min listen

Lionel Messi - how many things is he the best in the world at?: The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell dive into the data to break down every aspect of Lionel Messi's game and work out just how many aspects of football he has mastered in his illustrious career so far. Spoiler alert: It's not just scoring goals! Scouring the stats from across his entire career, we examine his finishing, assisting, dribbling, positional versatility, free-kick taking, his amazing consistency, even his unrivalled ability to play devastating one-twos. Backed up by hard numbers you'll be left in no doubt as to why Messi is in a league of his own. Sorry, Cristiano. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

47 min listen

Rafa Benitez on why Colombia's Francisco Maturana is his hero: https://theathletic.com/podcast/145-zonal-marking/?episode=6 by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

49 min listen

Away Goals DON'T Count Double!: Was Gary Lineker right when he famously announced that NO goal should be of greater value than another? It's the debate you never knew you felt so strongly about... Should 'Away Goals' be scrapped? Ali Maxwell & Michael Cox are joined by Omar Chaudhuri, Head of Football Intelligence at 21st Club, to present their arguments... Where did the law come from, is it fair, and what if two teams have the same home ground?? by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

35 min listen

Every Premier League squad profiled: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to profile every Premier League squad by average age, depth of quality and numerous other quirks along the way.Who is well-stocked across the pitch? Who are the unsung players who could have good seasons? Who could yet dip into the market for a bit more depth? All this and more answered in this week's ZM pod. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

54 min listen

Why Atalanta are the most exciting team in Europe - with James Horncastle: The Athletic's Michael Cox & James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell to examine how and why Atalanta have become one of the most exciting teams in Europe over the last year or so, culminating with their recent Champions League victory over Valencia Sign up to The Athletic today for all of Michael's tactical insights... Get a 40% discount by visiting the athletic.com/zonalmarking by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

47 min listen

Italian football's search for the next Pirlo: The Athletic's Michael Cox and James Horncastle join Ali Maxwell ahead of Serie A returning this week for a look at the next generation of Italian midfielders, starting with a man some have compared to the legendary Andrea Pirlo - Brescia's Sandro Tonali. Tonali has been lighting up Serie A this season and drawing comparisons to Pirlo but is there more to his game than that comparison suggests? Elsewhere we take a broader look at the history of Italian midfielders - be they registas, fantasistas or medianos - and also run the rule over some of the other contenders aiming to grasp the midfield mantle for the Azzuri from the established figures of Jorginho and Marco Veratti to the emerging talents of Gaetano Castrovilli, Stefano Sensi, Nicolò Zaniolo and Nicolò Barella. Sign up to The Athletic for access to Michael Cox's tactical musings and James Horncastle's Italian dispatches plus the best Premier League coverage you'll find anywhere - by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

50 min listen

Goalscoring goalkeepers: The Athletic's Michael Cox, Ali Maxwell and Jack Lang take a closer look at the goalkeepers who have made a career out of doing the business at the other end of the pitch. Not just popping up for the odd corner or accidentally knocking in a long goal-kick but those - and there are quite a few - who have genuinely played an attacking role for their teams. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

41 min listen

Is Ljungberg the answer for Arsenal?: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by Swedish football journalist Frida Fagerlund for an in-depth look at both the playing and coaching career of interim Arsenal head coach Freddie Ljungberg, as they attempt to work out whether he's got what it takes to land the Arsenal job full-time by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

31 min listen

Messi in Moments, Traore's Take-Ons, 'Direct' Brentford: Notebook Re-Opened: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville re-open their notebooks to share some their tactical and analytical insights from the last week's games... by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

50 min listen

The Makelele Role: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Liam Twomey join Ali Maxwell to reflect upon the career of a player so good they named a position after him - Claude Makelele. Why was he so good at playing defensive midfield? Did he have more to his game than just getting it and giving it? And how has his legacy in that position affected those who've played it since? by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

36 min listen

Explained: Why left-footed centre-backs are so in demand: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to look at the tactical and technical reasons as to why left-footed centre-backs are so in demand and so important to a lot of managers in modern football.Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta both made it a priority to increase their options in this department in recent months, and we've looked at the data and the footage to examine exactly how much difference being able to use your left foot can make when playing out from the backWe also look at some potential options for teams who could perhaps benefit from bringing in a left-footed centre back such as Tottenham who have lost Jan Vertonghen, and Leicester who recently fielded an entire staring XI of right-footed players by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

36 min listen

How has the new goal kick rule changed the game?: Does it really make sense to play out from the back or are you better off hoofing it down the field? The Athletic's new Football Analytics writer, Tom Worville, joins Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell to explore the impact of the latest changes to the goal-kick rule... The trio assess the risks and the rewards of shorter goal kicks, how the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and even Burnley have exploited it, plus, Michael's suggestions for even more rule changes! by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

32 min listen

Can PSG & THE FANTASTIC 4 win the Champions League?: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by writer and broadcaster, Tom Williams, to assess whether Paris St Germain and 'Les Quatre Fantastiques' are capable of FINALLY capturing a thus-far-elusive Champions League crown this season... The trio delve into the tactical changes manager Thomas Tuchel has made since replacing Unai Emery, debate Neymar's quiet resurgence and preview a mouth-watering last 16 clash with Borussia Dortmund! by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

35 min listen

The Big Champions League & Europa League Preview: The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein, James Horncastle and Dermot Corrigan join Ali Maxwell for a comprehensive look ahead to the return of the Champions League - looking at every single game on the schedule and all the potential storylines that could emerge from this truncated single-leg knockout format. It promises to be a furious festival of elite football and we've got every angle covered. We also dive into the Europa League with teams like Manchester United, Wolves, Inter, Roma, Sevilla, Getafe and Leverkusen all still in the mix there is plenty to look forward to in that competition too. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

58 min listen

Bad Stats - where we are all getting it wrong when talking about football: The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to get a few things off their chests about the use of statistics in the general conversation around football. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

46 min listen

Unique Athletic Bilbao: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are once again joined by our resident Spanish Football Writer, Dermot Corrigan, this time to give Athletic Bilbao the Zonal Marking treatment... A whole host of familiar names including Marcelo Bielsa, Aymeric Laporte and Inaki Williams, a truly unique recruitment policy and a history inextricably linked to English football. by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

44 min listen

Why Norwich could be the best team to ever finish bottom of the Premier League: The Athletic's Michael Cox & Ali Maxwell are joined by Michael Bailey to discuss why Norwich City promised so much at the start of the season only to eventually find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table - we take in their journey up as runaway champions, the key roles Daniel Farke & Stuart Webber have played, shine the spotlight on the individual talents of Cantwell, Buendia & Pukki and ultimately get to the bottom of why they've failed to pick up enough points this season by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

53 min listen

Champions League Special: The Athletic's Michael Cox is alongside Ali Maxwell to bring you a Champions League special on this week's podcast. Michael breaks down the tactics that saw Bayern Munich and PSG progress from their Semi-Finals this week, and tells us what we can expect from Sunday's final. We examine the strengths and weaknesses of each side, pick-out the key individual battles, and ultimately predict which side will come out on top by The Athletic Football Tactics Podcast

38 min listen

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Pep's Innovation, Lukaku's System & Ralf's False Start: Premier League Notebook

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