The Athletic FC Podcast

Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic's dedicated England writers Jack Pitt-Brooke and Oliver Kay to look ahead to how England could get on out in Qatar, as well as USMNT writer Paul Tenorio.The panel look at England's standing and form under Gareth Southgate having led the Three Lions to the semi-final in Russia in 2018 prior to reach the Euro 2020 Final last year at Wembley.Plus, in a group containing USA, Iran and Wales how far are England expected to progress and what does the potential road to glory look like?Produced by Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Pol Ballus, Rafa Honignstein & Adam Leventhal to debate whether managing at international level is an attractive proposition for the very best managers like Jurgen Klopp & Pep Guardiola? On the flip side are national teams managers in the conversation to be the head coach at elite clubs that expect Champions League glory? Plus we’ll hear Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts on whether he’d take the England job.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by Carl Anka, Andy Mitten and Spanish football writer Dermot Corrigan to debate whether either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo can finally claim FIFA World Cup glory, in Qatar.The panel look back through the international careers of both Messi and Ronaldo debating and analysing their impact on their national sides' fortunes and the struggle for both to perform to their highest on the international scene.Who is better set for glory in Qatar is also discussed as well as whether or not World Cup victory for one over the other will finally settle the great debate over who is the greatest.Produced by Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Editor-in-Chief Alex Kay-Jelski, Deputy Editor Laura Williamson and Investigations writer Matt Slater, to pause and reflect, just days before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar...How Qatar retained the World Cup following the controversy surrounding their bid to host. The moral dilemmas of covering and even sending reporters to the tournament, how much Doha has changed in the intervening years and what visiting fans from all over the world can expect.Plus, how Gareth Southgate and the FA have navigated human rights issues in the lead up to the biggest festival of football in the world, Gianni Infantino's lamentable letter, Jurgen Klopp's aspersions on the media and if sportswashing is really at the heart of Qatar's World Cup project.Produced by Adonis Pratsides Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Laurie Whitwell to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's interview where he criticised the club & his manager. Is this the end for him at Old Trafford?Greg O'Keefe then tells us the challenges Frank Lampard faces in turning round Everton who seem to be slipping into another crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic has a brand new documentary series following Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk. Here is an introduction to the seriesIn this episode, The Athletic’s Adam Crafton speaks to Taras Stepanenko, the captain of Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk, as he and his young family take refuge in an underground shelter when war breaks out in Ukraine. Adam also meets with Shakhtar's Croatian head coach, Igor Jovicevic, who was separated from his family when Russia invaded. Meanwhile, as the team prepares for their first match in Europe’s elite competition, the Champions League, we hear from Shakhtar midfielder Ivan Petryak, who lost a family member to the war with Russia. With all the odds against Shakhtar, can the Ukrainian club pull off a shock victory against the German club Red Bull Leipzig?CreditsPresenter: Adam CraftonProducers: Adam Crafton, Abi Paterson, Mike StavrouSound mixing: Ollie BellwoodFeaturing footage from: The Daily, AP, ABC News, Sport BILD, DW News, Al Jazeera, and BT Sport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Tim Spiers and Rich Amofa as well as bet365's Steve Freeth ahead of the final weekend of Premier League action prior to the World Cup.Chelsea's visit to Newcastle is top of the bill before looking ahead to Nathan Jones' Southampton start away at Anfield, before discussing Wolves welcoming Arsenal to Molineux.Plus there's reaction to the latest in the Cristiano Ronaldo fiasco ahead of Manchester United taking on Fulham.Produced by Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Adam Leventhal is joined by Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jay Harris for reaction to Gareth Southgate naming his 26-man squad for the World Cup in Qatar. The big news is Leicester's James Maddison is finally in the squad, plus a surprise inclusion for Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, as well as a place for Newcastle's in-form striker Callum Wilson.There's a look at how those three will feature during the tournament, plus discussion of Harry Maguire's role in the team, whether Sterling will keep his place, how you get the best out of England's many attacking options, and we pick our starting XI for the game against Iran Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's George Caulkin sit down with Martin O’Neill to talk about his new book On Days Like These and his life in football. As well as discussing the numerous career highs, Martin also shares his regrets during managing in the Premier League.Martin talks about the charisma of playing in Brian Clough’s legendary Nottingham Forest team & about his time as manager of the Republic of Ireland at Euros in 2016, when they made it to the second round for the first time in their history.On Days Like These – My Life in Football by Martin O’Neill is published by Pan Macmillan, 10 November Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rio Ferdinand's 3-part documentary series, 'Tipping Point' aims to find real solutions to the racism, homophobia and mental health crisis which plague our sport... prior to its release, Rio sat down for an honest conversation with The Athletic's Roshane Thomas on the current state of play.Host Dan Barnes is joined by Roshane and editor Richard Amofa to keep that conversation going. Over the course of this episode you'll hear the interview with Ferdinand, but also from Wilfried Zaha, Romelu Lukaku and Josh Cavallo, as our panel evaluate football's progress.Rio Ferdinand’s Tipping Point is available on Prime Video from Friday 11 NovemberProduced by Adonis Pratsides Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.