Advertise on podcast: Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

It's almost 48 hours since Manchester United lost 2-0 at Atletico Madrid and the repercussions of Lisandro Martinez's post-match outburst have yet to be felt in earnest. We review our thoughts in light of his subsequent social media statement. What does his United future look like now? Martinez has been criticised for speaking out but he has shone a spotlight on some very real problems, not least this summer's transfer business. Were his comments entirely fair, and how might leadership react? Next up for Michael Carrick's United squad is a trip to Elland Road; can they shut out the noise, there will be plenty of it, and somehow carve out a result? With squad frailties exposed and Bruno yet to find his best form this season, Premier League-toughened Leeds will be looking to take advantage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Champions League matches between European giants go, this one was more ordinary than some. Manchester United weren't expected to win, and they didn't, despite a performance that showed some positive signs. However, the script was torn up shortly after the final whistle when defender Lisandro Martinez made a series of broadsides at the management of the club in his post-match interview with broadcaster Amazon Prime. We consider the comments and how they will be received by fans, his teammates, manager Michael Carrick, senior executives including Director of Football Jason Wilcox and, of course, club ownership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a lengthy break, and with a heightened atmosphere around Old Trafford, this wasn't the return that anyone would've wanted. Spurs dominated possession and territory in the opening half-hour and could have had a healthy lead. Improvement came after half-time and, with a superb goal from Bryan Mbeumo followed soon after by a red card for Rodrigo Bentancur, hope and relief briefly flowed around the stadium. Unfortunately, with United, playing against ten men doesn't feel like an advantage these days... far from it. Next up, it's a trip to Madrid and a genuine Champions League event. Diego Simeone's Atletico are a formidable force, especially at home, and it's the start of a quickfire series of tough psychological and physical tests for Michael Carrick and his squad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League returns after the extended international break and it's a chance for Michael Carrick to reset and get the campaign off on a better footing. If league form is anything to go by, Tottenham Hotspur SHOULD be a useful opposition in that regard, but before last season this fixture hadn't been kind. There are several questions over fitness and availability going into Saturday's game. Will Carlos Baleba make his much awaited debut, what should we make of the various withdrawals from international commitments, and what can we expect from some of United's longer term absentees? And, there have been several news stories away from the pitch as well, big, small, and huge. We update on those, of course, but the main thing is to see an uptick in league form; hopefully a massive international break is as good as a change for Carrick and co. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the final countdown... the top five greatest Manchester United players of all time (according to Andy Mitten). If our previous episode was contentious, the decisions here are more straightforward, albeit the choice between two great midfielders is the one that wracked Andy's conscience more than any... That aside the theme of influence, whether it be through leadership, longevity, strength in adversity, or even just powerful charisma, runs through this discussion. As with many of the top 25, there are controversial elements, too. Whatever you think about the final list, there can be little argument about the vast contribution these five men have made to Manchester United. Knowing about Prefab Sprout, not compulsory. Read more about Andy's choices: Bobby CharltonRyan GiggsGeorge BestBryan RobsonRoy Keane Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a brief aside (!) we return to our discussion of Manchester United's greatest ever players, as adjudicated by Andy Mitten. If you thought the countdown from 25-11 was tough enough, we're into the top ten and it is not getting any easier. This episode will see us count from 10 to 6 and, on footballing talent alone, it wouldn't be far off a top five. Fascinating characters who created some incredible moments, both on and off the pitch, and a mix of local talent with charismatic imports... causing arguments; it's what Manchester United is all about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's taken eight years to arrive, but the verdict of the Premier League's independent commission has sent shockwaves through football, finding Manchester City guilty on almost all charges of financial misstatements and failure to cooperate with their investigation. The Athletic's David Ornstein broke the story late last week, with statements following from the Premier League and its Chairman Richard Masters. City also made a statement denying their culpability and making clear their intention to appeal. There are now so many questions; what will happen next? What is an appropriate punishment? Might the history books have to be rewritten? (of course, some things simply can't be retrospectively altered) Importantly for us, what will Manchester United's reaction be, and how will it affect football in its aftermath? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who are the greatest players in the history of Manchester United Football Club? And where would you even start if someone asked you to try and figure it out!? Well, that's what happened to Andy Mitten when he decided not to go to the World Cup last summer. Luckily for us, he made a mighty fist of this titanic task with a series of articles for The Athletic. In this first episode of a three-part special podcast series we'll talk about Andy's process, discuss the reaction (both from those chosen and those who missed out), and we'll begin the countdown with numbers 25 to 11. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Financial results... not exactly a subject that gets the heart racing, but with Manchester United they do quite often raise the blood pressure. The Athletic's football finance expert Chris Weatherspoon joins us to analyse the latest numbers, which are more than a little worrying. Inevitably, debt is a headline again, but is it now really starting to put pressure on the club's ability to compete? Perhaps Michael Carrick's performance should be put into context, here; a third-placed finish, it could be argued, was an over-performance when measured against the club's wage bill. It's all a bit gloomy, so we look forward to a break, maybe a trip to the cinema, and to put aside arguments and petty differences with some special podcast episode's on Andy Mitten's all-time Top 25 MUFC players... hmmm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another weekend, another deflating performance in what has been a hugely disappointing start to the new season. Mateus Cunha's late equaliser may have rescued a point but does it do anything for the mood of fans who had been optimistic after the end of term surge last time around. As media commentators dig through the potential causes of this season's struggles, the running stats have become a hot topic. We look at those, and others, to try and get a firmer grasp on what is going wrong and how improvements can be found. And, as we go into a three-week international break followed by a tough run of fixtures, we look at Michael Carrick's reaction to recent results, whether a tactical switch is in the offing, and try to muster some optimism about an October reboot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Brighton fought back from an early two-nil deficit at Old Trafford on Wednesday night they were the first team to achieve that feat in fifty years but the mood around the game and the performance felt much more recent. We try to shake off the deja vu of it all and work out why the spark wasn't there despite Shea Lacey's cracking early goal. Michael Carrick has now lost two consecutive games for the first time as manager. Out of the EFL Cup and with just Fulham to play in the league before a lengthy international break, it feels like there is a growing list of issues for the coaching team to contend with... not all of them fix-able with a Carlos Baleba. Adding insult to insult, club executives are also having to deal with the potential exit of youth team star JJ Gabriel in a very public way. The 15 year-old has asked to have his registration annulled with interest from major clubs in Europe and it looks likely he will leave... what does that mean for the United academy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not the result we wanted for our first ever post-match livestream, not by a long stretch. What started off as a normal derby flipped its energy dramatically when Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes; but, if you thought that decision would be the controversy of the day, you were wrong. Erling Haaland gave Manchester City the lead despite a VAR review and the failure to call for an on-pitch review has prompted a statement from the Professional Referees Organisation calling it an 'error of judgement'. Ultimately, though, the team have little justification in blaming referees for the defeat; a lacklustre performance saw them create very few good chances against ten men and those they did were squandered. It's now officially a disappointing start to the season and there is significant pressure to get results against Brighton in the League Cup and Fulham in the league before the international break. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Champions League football returned to Old Trafford on Thursday night and it was... well, it was a routine win against a Sabah team that passed neatly and competed for half an hour but, ultimately, didn't have enough to trouble Manchester United. Instead, we'll concentrate primarily on this Sunday's Manchester derby. It's one of the more hotly anticipated renewals with plenty of interest and intrigue in both red and blue camps. Enzo Maresca will choose from an expensively assembled set of summer signings... but will City have the same vulnerabilities as they did for Michael Carrick's first game back in the manager's job in January? United's team selection will be interesting as well; Matheus Cunha scored his first Champions League goal on Thursday night, but will he get the nod ahead of Rashford or Sesko? It seems unlikely. Further back it could be a big game for Lisandro Martinez who gave a good account of himself in the last derby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It isn't the Premier League start anyone wanted. One win and just four points from what looked like three of the season's less challenging fixtures sees fan anxiety threatening to creep in. There were positives at Everton, excellent goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko and the continuation of very encouraging signs on the left side through Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford. Two late equalisers conceded, though, whatever you make of the defending, does leave a sense of stalled momentum after Ipswich. Thursday's game against Champions League newcomers will now hopefully see some of that restored going into derby weekend.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complete rebuild of the Manchester United midfield had already been done when the UK's transfer deadline day arrived this week so the focus switched to players who could deputise for Luke Shaw at left back and Benjamin Sesko as a target-man centre forward. In the end, despite exploring the viability of several targets, the club's decision makers opted not to buy. We take a look at squad depth and try to assess how much of a gamble it was to 'keep the powder dry'. Meanwhile, this weekend's opposition Everton are a potential powder keg after the sale of Iliam Ndiaye and an unsuccessful eleventh-hour bid for Josh Zirkzee. Joining us to look ahead to that Everton game and the start of United's WSL campaign is Cerys Jones who is now working on The Athletic's Manchester United coverage. The WSL campaign may be tough for Eva Olid and her squad after high profile departures. The opening fixtures, including Friday's trip to star-studded London City Lionesses, represent a baptism of fire for the new manager. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.