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Whether you’re keeping up with transfer rumours, breaking down the weekend’s action or even just looking to reminisce about players and teams gone by, there’s no better way to do all of the above than by binging through podcasts.
Right now, with lockdown boredom well and truly setting in, we have more time than ever to consume expert opinion, nostalgic throwbacks and tactical breakdowns.
So, which football podcasts should you be listening to right now?
Here are 10 of the best.
10. The Totally Football Show
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We all fondly remember Channel 4’s Football Italia show, don’t we? So what better place to start than the Totally Football Show, hosted by James Richardson?
Joined by esteemed guests such as Rafa Honigstein and Nick Miller, Richardson covers everything from Premier League, Serie A and La Liga, to classic Champions League finals, delivered in the stylish manner only he is capable of.
With over 60 million downloads, the Totally Football Show is immensely popular and given it’s released three times a week, it has content enough to keep you engaged for hours.
9. World Football Index
If you like your football served with a sprinkle of samba style, look no further than the World Football Index podcast.
WFi’s listening catalogue covers topics from around the world, but it’s their South American show which really catches the eye. Presented by expert Adam Brandon, the show looks back on some of the famous cult CONMEBOL sides, as well as covering the here and now for the likes of River Plate, Boca Juniors, Sao Paulo and beyond.
8. StatsBomb
If you’re a number cruncher, you’ve probably come across StatsBomb in the last few years, with their analytics team operating right at the front edge of football statistics in recent years.
That is perfectly illustrated in their podcast — often released twice a week — where Ted Knutson and James Yorke get stuck right into the data and analytics side of football.
How does data affect scouting? How can clubs use analytics to improve their performance and recruitment? It’s all covered in the StatsBomb podcast.
7. Squawka Talker
Just like StatsBomb, Squawka have become known as one of the go-to places for stats over the years but recently, they’ve developed
into far more than that, now bringing you insightful features and tactical breakdowns to go along with their number crunching.
This is reflected in the Squawka Talker podcast, where their team of editors and writers dig deep into the biggest talking points in the game, from the race for the Premier League title to the Champions League knockout stages, with transfers and tactical trends in between.
6. The Game Football Podcast
Hosted by Natalie Sawyer and often featuring esteemed guests such as Gabriel Marcotti, Jonathan Northcroft and Henry Winter, The Game Football Podcast — brought to you by The Times — is one of the best places to go for your fill of English and Champions League football.
As is to be expected from The Times, The Game takes a slightly more highbrow approach, but also offers up quirky stats and inside opinions from some of the industry’s most respected writers.
The Game really comes alive during international tournaments, too, where their top-class team of journalists get right up close and personal with the England squad to keep you up to date with just how the Three Lions are coping in their quests for glory.
5. The Guardian Football Weekly
We all love an in-depth tactical analysis when it comes to football but sometimes, even the most refined connoisseur of the game just needs to get back to basics and appreciate the simple things in life.
Presented by Max Rushden, formerly of Soccer AM, and Barry Glendening, The Guardian Football Weekly podcast — ironically aired twice a week — gives you a much more light-hearted view of the English game, appreciating the hard tackle and headed goal far more than the nuanced tactical insight.
Football Weekly also brings in guests from across the continent to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest news from Spain, Germany, France and beyond.
4. Total Soccer Show
Not so much just one podcast as a whole host of different names under one banner, The Athletic’s “Total Soccer Show” is the go-to place for the American view football.
Covering Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League, MLS and beyond, the Total Soccer Show is just as fun and light-hearted as it is informative and is just about as topical as you can get in the world of football podcasting.
3. Extra Time
If you’re of an MLS persuasion, you need look no further than the Extra Time podcast.
Hosted by MLSsoccer.com’s Andrew Weibe and featuring tactical insights from the likes of Matt Doyle — as well as ex-MLS players such as Charlie Davies and Calen Carr — Extra Time offers an in-depth, polished view of what’s going on right across Major League Soccer.
From club owners to current managers, and even David Beckham in the past, Extra Time never fails to bring on the best guests from across the league.
As Beckham himself says: “Extra Time is exactly how I find out what’s going on in MLS”.
2 – Jamie Carragher’s “The Greatest Game”
He might not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s no denying Jamie Carragher had a wonderful footballing career, with some brilliant stories to tell along the way.
In his “Greatest Game” podcast, Carragher brings on the biggest guests from around the world of sport — from former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, to England Rugby Union legend Martin Johnson — to uncover some of the untold tales and insights that go with playing at the elite level.
Thierry Henry, Neville Southall and Michael Owen are just a few more of the guests to appear on the podcast and if you like those wild stories that are often only heard at sportsman’s dinners, this is the one for you.
1. Tifo Football
Whether it’s tactics, transfer dealings or expert insight from the game’s professionals, arguably the best podcast around right now is Tifo Football.
Run in tandem with their highly successful YouTube channel, Tifo brilliantly walks the line between in-depth analysis and objective opinion, while the light-hearted, often amusing dynamic between hosts Joe Devine and Alex Stewart makes it one of the easiest listens about.
From what’s going on right at the top at Liverpool to the unique transfer dealings of the Australian A-League, with plenty of data and analytics thrown in between, Tifo Football has everything you could possibly want to know about the game covered.
What’s more, due to its recent merge with The Athletic, the guests and quality of content have levelled up even further.
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