Show Notes
As more big players struggle with injury, and there is now an expectation that set-pieces at the World Cup will be refereed in a completely different way to the Premier League, a few international managers are already adapting plans. Which begs a bigger question: what is the best way to win a World Cup?
Are there set approaches? Can you "playbook" it, as Gareth Southgate tried? Do you need an ideology, as Spain have? Are properly world-class attackers essential? Can you still hide away a winning system for a year in the way Sir Alf Ramsey and Carlos Bilardo did? How influential are conditions? Were Brazil 1970 only so good because no one could press in Mexican midday heat?
We get into all of this and more in the latest Copa Independent podcast, with Miguel Delaney, Lawrence Ostlere and - making his debut - Adam Clery.
Don’t forget the special World Cup nostalgia segments in stoppage time, extra time and penalties either, where we decide on the best historic feature of each tournament. This week: the greatest World Cup ad, the next addition to our all-time tournament XI – the big one, the number-10 playmaker – and, of course, some trivia questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Copa Independent
The Ballon d’Or has become increasingly political, with player branding, club lobbying and voting blocs all playing their part. But what should the award recognise? In the latest episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly debate whether it should go to the best player or the most valuable over a 12-month period — and how much weight should be given to trophies, stats, influence, “magic” and the impact of World Cup years.
Lawrence Ostlere is joined from Anfield by Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly immediately after Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool in a match overshadowed by the recent guilty verdict and ongoing appeal, creating a sense of uncertainty and “freakish” unreality around the match, and the Premier League. They discuss the atmosphere at Anfield—frustration more than fury—alongside City fans’ defiant chants, retro shirts and inflatable bananas, and debate how much the result can mean for a season distorted by pending sanctions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Are Liverpool about to see the real Alexander Isaak? How long can Carrick last at Man Utd? These questions seem a touch mundane after what we've been through in the last two weeks but the Premier League is back! Even though it may never be the same....
Lawrence Ostlere is joined by Miguel Delaney for another impromptu episode of Copa Independent to react hours after an independent commission’s verdict on Manchester City was released, which finds the club guilty of almost all Premier League charges and arranging “sham” sponsorships to inflate revenue by more than £830m over nine years, misstating accounts, concealing finances from auditors and regulators, and repeatedly breaching cooperation duties. Will the Premier League ever be the same again? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In an impromptu episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere and Miguel Delaney react to the news that Manchester City are to be found guilty of almost all Premier League charges stemming from the 2018 football leaks revelations.