The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Ali Maxwell are joined by our new analytics writer Mark Carey to tackle the thorny issue of how we measure the performance of that most unique of positions - goalkeepers.Taking the lead from Mark's recent pieces on Kasper Schmeichel and Vicente Guaita we look at the various metrics we use to analyse goalkeeping performance, how useful they are at accurately assessing their performance, and we try to dispel some common myths around the importance of save percentages and distribution.And it wouldn't be a pod about goalkeepers if we didn't try to work out who should be England's no.1 for the Euros so we look at the numbers to try and work out whether Pickford, Pope or Henderson deserves the shirt for Southgate's side. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox, Tom Worville and Ali Maxwell set out to select an XI from across Europe's top five leagues consisting of players who are unique in their positions - whether it be a curious tactical style, strangely high or low stats compared to what you'd expect, or just the fact that they are ridiculously tall, this is Quite Unique FCSee if you can guess who we've picked from these clues:A veteran keeper who keeps it simple and is the best cheerleader aroundA right-back who would be more at home in 1992 than 2021A young Premier League centre-back who doesn't really tackle but also doesn't passA ball-playing centre-half from Serie A who loves to use his weaker footAn all-action left-back from Berlin who loves to surge forwardA decorated defensive mid who has quietly turned into an attacking midfielderAn Italian midfielder who plays like a young David SilvaThe most tactically diverse midfielder in EuropeA prolific Argentinean who has never scored for ArgentinaA 6ft7 striker with elegant feet on a hot streakA sleep-loving Spanish winger whose mother named her dog after her son's famous night on Merseyside Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to bring you the definitive guide to the many, many roles and positions you may find among attackers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are West Ham genuine top four contenders? Can Leicester do what they failed to last season and hang on to a Champions League spot? The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to examine the contrasting tactical approaches of the Premier League's gatecrashers and assess whether either side is the real deal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to preview the Champions League knockout stages which get underway on Tuesday night.Coxy has studied the tactics, Worville has mined all the data, and Ali will guide us through all the ties as we look at every single game and every single team left in the competition in detail.The Champions League last 16 in full:RB Leipzig v LiverpoolBarcelona v PSGSevilla v DortmundPorto v JuventusAtletico Madrid v ChelseaLazio v Bayern MunichAtalanta v Real MadridGladbach v Man City Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Leeds, Nîmes, Montpellier, Union Berlin, Elche, Nice, Freiburg, Brighton, Burnley, and Benevento all have in common?They're all mixing it with the big boys of European football in areas you might not expect. Punching well above their weight or standing out like a sore thumb when it comes to a whole host of different metrics.In this week's ZM pod The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to look at why these clubs and their players are among Europe's biggest statistical outliers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to delve into the world of running stats and explain the many different ways in which they are used in the modern game.We'll look at whether the 'distance covered' stats actually mean anything, at how intense pressing sides may end up running less than you think, and the role of tracking data in the recruitment process.Plus we consult the data to reveal which players top the sprinting, jogging and walking charts in the Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to tell us what Chelsea can expect from Thomas Tuchel, the tactical chameleon.We'll study his career to date starting with his first job causing a scene at Mainz, his first big gig at Dortmund where he pushed Bayern close but not close enough and then on to PSG who he guided to the Champions League final last season.There's a look at how Pep and Klopp influence his tactical style to differing extents, his preference for using his players in a variety of different roles, his knack for getting the best out of his strikers, and of course the big question is what he'll do with his under performing compatriots Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to assess the legacy that Mesut Ozil leaves behind at Arsenal as his seven and half year spell at the Emirates comes to an end.We remember the excitement which greeted his arrival, the way Arsene Wenger had to adjust to fit him in to a playmaker-laden squad, and of course all those assists.There's also plenty of discussion of how it all unravelled for Ozil at Arsenal, when and why did his numbers start to decline? Should he have lead the team to the title in 2015/16? Why didn't Emery or Arteta ever really trust him?All this plus further reminiscing on his career pre-Arsenal and a look at what could be in store for him in Turkey as he gets set to join Fenerbahce Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Michael Cox and Tom Worville join Ali Maxwell to bring you the definitive guide to the many, many roles and positions you may find in midfield.What's the difference between a 6 and an 8? What makes a true holding midfielder and is it different to the 'Makelele role'? Why do Argentineans love no.5s so much? What's the difference between an Enganche and a Trequarista? And what on earth is a shuttler?All these questions and more answered as the ZM pod goes box-to-box for the next fifty-five minutesSubscribe to The AthleticRight now you can enjoy the Athletic for just £3.99 per month as part of our January sale.Enjoy great analysis and in-depth features from the very best football writers around, as well as ad-free versions of all of our podcasts. Just go to theathletic.com/zonalmarking to sign up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.