The Lowdown

As a new MLS season approaches I sat down with Joe Lowery to preview the upcoming season. Alongside his knowledge of the MLS, Joe has a keen eye for the tactical side of the game. Throughout this episode it was interesting to learn of the strides which MLS teams have made in this area over the past few years. Furthermore we discussed the ins and outs heading into this new season and what neutrals should be looking out for including; - Where does the MLS rank in terms of tactical modernity?- How Joe Lowery FC would strategize for a playoff run?-What to expect from Gabriel Heinze at Atlanta United?- Why Bob Bradley should never change- Predictions for the upcoming season- Joe's advice for those aspiring tactical analysts & writersJoe's Twitter; https://twitter.com/joeclowery?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTimestamps;00:00 - 03:54 - Tactics 03:55 - 12:21 - MLS v Modern day tactics12:22 - 17:44 - Atlanta United17:45 - 20:46 - Columbus Crew20:47 - 25:42 - Philadelphia Union & the Supporter's Shield25:43 - 27:04 - Rest of the East27:05 - 30:55 - Seattle Sounders30:56 - 33:53 - Portland Timbers33:54 - 36:08 - LAFC36:09 - 41:22 - LA Galaxy & Efrain Alvarez41:23 - 45:04 - USMNT & Gregg Berhalter45:05 - 49:55 - Season predictions

A lot of people think; “Wow you work in football!” but what does the reality actually look like? Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Chris Rush as he reflected upon his 15 years working in professional football at clubs such as Middlesbrough, Manchester City and most recently Blackburn. The interview focuses on the realities working as support staff in the professional game and the circumstances surrounding his recent departure from Blackburn. We discussed topics such as; - Working as support staff in football- What did the weekly routine look like?- When does a passion become a profession?- Can universities do a better job at raising awareness among students?- Cultural reformPacey Performance Survey; https://www.strengthofscience.com/pacey-performance-academy-performance-staff-survey/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:17 - 15 years in football03:18 - 11:30 - Reasons for leaving professional football11:31 - 15:15 - Pacey Performance Survey15:16 - 17:35 - Is it just football?17:36 - 19:38 - What does a typical week look like?19:39 - 26:36 - Can universities do better?26:37 - 31:04 - Reforms31:05 - 35:30 - What's next for Chris?

Interview with Valencia Academy Director; Sean Bai covering all topics on youth development including;- Integrating ideas from other industries into football- Sean's advice to growing academies- Behind the scenes into the organizational change at Valencia- Building a culture during Covid- Their process in identifying and developing a youth player- Academies as an immune system to FFP & European Super LeagueTimestamps;00:00 - 07:59 - Sean's role at Valencia08:00 - 15:32 - Individual first Player second15:33 - 23:07 - What does the support network around a player look like?23:08 - 35:25 - Building a culture during Covid35:26 - 42:34 - Recruitment42:35 - 47:52 - Pathway to Pro47:53 - 55:07 - FFP & European Super League55:08 - 57:18 - Sean's version of success

Interview with UEFA A Candidate and Recruitment & Performance Analysis Consultant at MRKT Insights; Chris Summersell on all things Tottenham Hotspur including;- Growing up with Spurs - The Pochettino years- Should we cut Mourinho some slack?- What tactical tweaks he would make- Who Spurs should be targeting in this summer's transfer window?- What constitutes success at Spurs?Chris' Twitter; https://twitter.com/ChrisSummersellTimestamps;00:00 - 07:47 - Ginola, Gascoigne & White Hart Lane07:48 - 12:56 - Mourinho12:57 - 19:13 - Pochettino19:14 - 25:56 - Demands of the modern day coach25:57 - 30:41 - Spurs 20/2130:42 - 41:28 - Proposed changes & Transfer window41:29 - 48:04 - With or without Mourinho?48:05 - 53:40 - What is success for Spurs?

Interview with Ben Lyttleton, author of 'Twelve Yards: The Art & Psychology of the Perfect Penalty' & ‘Edge: What Business Can Learn from Football’ covering all topics including; - Football as a tool for education & self-improvement- How to measure success?- The next frontier of talent development- Tuchel, Deschamps & developing the individual- How Lionel Messi can improve at penalties?- Resilience going forwardBen's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-lyttleton-053a981/Ben's Twitter; https://twitter.com/benlyt?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTwelveyards substack; https://twelveyards.substack.com/Football School; https://www.footballschool.co/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:25 - Football as a tool08:26 - 10:10 - Next frontier of talent development10:11 - 20:48 - Cohesion, measuring success & Tuchel20:49 - 26:50 - Deschamps & developing the individual26:51 - 38:18 - Red Bull, Liverpool & defining talent38:19 - 46:31 - Penalties46:32 - 51:10 - Football School51:11 - 57:15 - Resilience

Interview with Andrei Angelescu of UEFA & the Romanian Football Federation on all things fan engagement and TV rights in football including;- The commercialisation of today's fan- 2021 trends- Premier League TV Rights- La Liga's international growth strategy- European Super League- Challenges in staging the 2020 Euro'sAndrei's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreiangelescu/Mihai Neşu Foundation; https://www.mihainesufoundation.com/ro/“Rendez-vous” Newsletter; https://mailchi.mp/fffce7b7c5d8/discover-the-digital-trends-of-10066329Timestamps;00:00 - 07:54 - Fan Engagement07:55 - 10:07 - 2021 Trends10:08 - 18:29 - TV Rights18:30 - 20:40 - La Liga20:41 - 25:20 - European Super League25:21 - 32:46 - Mihai Neşu Foundation32:47 - 34:27 - Euro 202034:28 - 39:52 - Romanian Football Federation & “Rendez-Vous”

Interview with Jasmine Baba on all things German Football including;- Finding a niche within the industry- Women in football- Joachim Low & German football's equivalent of musical chairs- Covid's effect on tactics- Julian Nagelsmann's next move- Gladbach & Arsene Wenger?!- Which German grounds Jasmine is most looking forward to visitingJasmine's Twitter; https://twitter.com/_jasminebaba?lang=enTimestamps;00:00 - 07:00 - Influences & Finding a niche07:01 - 11:29 - Women in Football11:30 - 15:03 - German Football15:04 - 18:34 - Tactical Trends18:35 - 22:02 - Bayern Munich & Flick22:03 - 27:17 - RB Leipzig & Nagelsmann27:18 - 34:15 - Borussia Dortmund & Rose34:16 - 37:35 - Gladbach & Wenger?!37:36 - 39:36 - German national team39:37 - 41:32 - Best of the rest41:33 - 45:30 - German football weekends

Interview with David Mooney of the “Blue Moon Podcast” & The Athletic's “Why Always Us?” on all things including;- The Kevin Keegan years- Maine Road & Binliner's- The 2008 Takeover- Pep Guardiola- That 21 game winning run- How do City win the Champions League?David's Twitter; https://twitter.com/DavidMooney?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorBlue Moon Podcast; https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/blue-moon-podcast-a-manchester-city-https://open.spotify.com/show/3nm5sbmhmOxTD1Q0WydCHkWhy Always Us? Podcast: https://theathletic.com/podcast/159-why-always-us/Timestamps;00:00 - 09:07 - Maine Road & Binliner's09:08 - 16:29 - 2008 Takeover16:30 - 22:25 - Pep Guardiola22:26 - 28:39 - Man City this season28:40 - 33:59 - City's best midfield?34:00 - 44:40 - Striker issues & Raheem Sterling44:41 - 50:14 - Champions League woes50:15 - 53:30 - Guardiola's dynasty

Interview with Smarterscout's Dan Altman on football data's revolution covering topics such as;- The origins of Smarterscout- Moving from economics to football- What we can do v What we can implement- Differences between roster building in the Premier League & MLS- Insight into Wayne Rooney's move to DC United- Rise of US private equity firms in European footballSmarterscout Twitter; https://twitter.com/smarterscout?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorDan's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/altmandaniel/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:27 - Smarterscout03:28 - 11:01 - Growth of data within football11:02 - 14:10 - City Football Group, D.C United & Swansea City14:11 - 17:18 - Premier League & MLS Roster Building17:19 - 20:13 - Inside Wayne Rooney's move to DC20:14 - 25:29 - Translating data into practice25:30 - 28:02 - Rise of US Private Equity firms in European football28:03 - 30:22 - Future of data within football

Interview and reflections with Lee Johnson on a coaching journey spanning four different continents covering topics such as;- Societal differences- Adapting to different cultures- “Shoulders of Giants”- What it was like to coach Chelsea's golden generation- Flying 95 times in one year- Learning to enjoy the momentLee's Twitter; https://twitter.com/leejohnson80?lang=enLee's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-johnson-714a7b50/Timestamps;00:00 - 06:31 - Reflections over the past year06:32 - 15:08 - Societal differences15:09 - 19:37 - Theory v Practice19:38 - 30:46 - Chelsea30:47 - 34:45 - Rwanda34:46 - 41:24 - India41:25 - 45:21 - Enjoying the moment45:22 - 52:34 - Coaching pathways52:35 - 56:13 - Lee's advice for me