Anfield Intelligence Podcast

Anfield Intelligence

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Liverpool FC covered in articles and podcasts. Clear analysis, fresh opinions and the fan voice that matters. anfieldintelligence.substack.com

3d ago

S02 - Ep011 - 2 Games, 12 Goals and Barcola Gets Three

Liverpool were the better side against Manchester City for an hour. Then Gravenberch picked up a second yellow and it was gone. Three days later they scored six in Austria and still conceded three. This week we try to work out which of those two teams is the real one. Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through both games and the Wirtz debate, and to look ahead to Brentford. We start with City at Anfield. Sandeep says Liverpool matched City for 60 minutes and the referee changed the game. Tej goes through the bookings, the chances and the inconsistency, and we ask whether Liverpool are now too nice a team to get the decisions. We also get into City’s celebrations, the verdict hanging over them, and who stood out in red. Then LASK: a Barcola hat-trick, Koumas finally getting his goal after two disallowed, and three late goals conceded after the centre-backs were changed. Sandeep has strong views on who is and isn’t Liverpool standard. The big one: what do we do with Florian Wirtz? Is it his style, the players around him, or the Premier League itself? Sandeep floats a swap deal you won’t see coming, and we both answer the question everyone’s asking: do you drop him for Brentford? Plus the Brentford preview, with Kelleher, Thiago and the long throws, our starting XIs and two predictions. To finish, Sandeep takes over on Manchester United: Jason Wilcox, INEOS, Rashford, and who we’d appoint if we were in charge at Old Trafford. Tej and Sandeep RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 Intro and first reactions03:31 Patience with Iraola, then Liverpool 0-3 Man City10:36 The key moments and the refereeing row19:00 City’s goals, the verdict and the stats24:35 Key performances26:31 LASK 3-6 Liverpool36:30 What do we do with Florian Wirtz?47:40 Brentford v Liverpool preview53:49 Starting XIs and predictions56:36 AOB: what’s going wrong at Manchester United?1:13:00 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Oct 6

S02 - Ep010 - Julian Ward's Plan and the Man City Test

Liverpool have a new sporting director and a squad that needs a plan, not another summer of patching. We map out what Julian Ward has to do, then turn to Sunday’s visit of Man City, the first Anfield league meeting since the 115 charges. Tej is joined by Sandeep to go through the squad position by position and decide who stays, who goes and who arrives. Who is Julian Ward? We look at his data-led background, his multi-club experience and what he brings to recruitment and scouting. Sandeep makes the case for giving him five years and for backing Andoni Iraola with time. We audit the squad. The goalkeepers are largely settled, with Alisson’s future the long-term question. In defence, Van Dijk stays and we debate the full-backs. In midfield we need a No.6 and more. In attack, the talent is there, but how does Barcola fit the left side? Then the three windows. January 2027 is about a holding midfielder and moving on fringe players. Summer 2027 is about full-backs and midfield depth. We also look at the Brentford and Brighton model and ask whether Liverpool should copy it. Plus the international break, with injury worries for Isak and Gakpo and travel fatigue for others. We finish with Liverpool v Man City: the Anfield atmosphere, Haaland’s doubt, both line-ups and two different predictions, a 3–1 Liverpool win from Sandeep and a draw from Tej. Hosts: Tej and Sandeep RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 Intro, the week’s talking points and the Man City backdrop04:00 Who is Julian Ward, and what must he do?11:53 Squad audit: goalkeepers and defence23:25 Squad audit: midfield and attack31:28 The transfer windows: January 2027, summer 2027, January 202842:35 International break check-in45:00 Liverpool v Man City preview, line-ups and predictions57:15 Outro This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Sep 29

S02 - Ep009 - City's Reckoning, Ward's Return

0:00 – 10:00 Blue Moon intro, then the first reaction to Man City’s verdict and the Isak and Gakpo scares. What does “liable” actually mean, and could City’s players have seen this coming? 10:00 – 20:00 Could this really rewrite the league table, or is it just an asterisk? And what does it mean for City at Anfield? 20:00 – 30:00 A history lesson from the Der Spiegel leaks to today’s statement. Why was City charged, and what happens next? 30:00 – 40:00 What punishment fits nine seasons of breaches? We each make our case. 40:00 – 50:00 Julian Ward is back. Is he the right man for Liverpool, and what should he do first? 50:00 – 59:00 The injury latest, plus how we’d line up against City without Isak and Gakpo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Sep 22

S02 - Ep008 - Good Habits

00:00–10:00. We ask whether Iraola has Liverpool acting like Liverpool again, and whether Isak’s goals make up for his lack of pressing. 10:00–20:00. We debate squad depth, whether Gravenberch and Mac Allister have a future at the club, and who should play right-back. 20:00–30:00. We call the Spurs and Bournemouth wins “good habits”, then take on Carragher’s criticism of Wirtz and ask whether the midfield needs a proper six. 30:00–40:00. We ask whether Gakpo is a one-trick pony, make the case for giving Wirtz more time, and pick Jacquet as our standout. 40:00–46:00. We discuss Frimpong’s struggles and look at the tough run of fixtures up to December. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Sep 15

S02 - Ep007 - Atleti Comeback, Fulham bore-draw

0–10: Cold open and pre-match banter — the lads check in on the Spurs Cup tie playing in the background and talk up Rio Ngumoha’s chance to state his case, before diving into the Atlético Madrid team news and both managers’ shapes. 10–20: The Atlético comeback dissected — Llorente’s early sucker-punch, the response either side of half-time, and a proper debate over whether Kerkez is heading for an Alberto Moreno career or an Andy Robertson one. Sandeep makes the patience case for Iraola’s rebuild, leaning on a pressing stat he reckons tells the real story. 20–30: Onto Fulham — the lineups, a big shout for Jérémy Jacquet, and an early flashpoint over Araújo versus Frimpong at right-back. A first look ahead to Bournemouth’s midfield options creeps in before the Atlético numbers get wrapped up properly. 30–40: The Fulham performance under the microscope — why the front four went quiet, a formation debate (4-2-3-1 versus a narrow diamond), and the first real airing of the Gravenberch–Szoboszlai problem. Talk turns to blooding the kids and what “meritocracy” under Iraola actually looks like. 40–50: The fatigue thread lands properly — three games in nine days, “no legs,” and what that says about pre-season under the new regime. Straight from there into the sporting director saga: Hughes, the Julian Ward case, a familiar Monaco midfield name, and some pointed words on how the club handled the Hughes handover. 50–60: Bournemouth preview proper — Sunday’s return to Iraola’s old stomping ground, Sandeep’s bold scoreline call, and what he wants to see to actually believe it. A pivot into Manchester City’s underwhelming start sets up why the fixture list might be falling kindly. 60–69: A long Manchester United tangent — the summer spend, the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparisons, the weekend’s City sending-off controversy — before a quick word on Tottenham’s managerial pressure and the sign-off. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Sep 8

S02 - Ep006 - Isak Blitzes, Hughes Exits

0–10: Tejas and Sandeep open on the Ipswich result and Barcola’s electric cameo, before Sandeep drops an early bombshell take on where this Liverpool squad really sits against the rest of the traditional top six. 10–20: Full team news and a minute-by-minute walk through both goals — plus the first big penalty shout of the season, and a VAR moment the lads aren’t happy about. 20–30: The stats, the standout performers, and a tactical dig into the back four — right before the biggest commercial story of Liverpool’s season breaks live on the pod. 30–40: Richard Hughes is out. The boys go deep on who should replace him, and Sandeep has a theory about where the club’s ownership structure is really heading. 40–50: Alexis Mac Allister goes public on his contract standoff, and the hosts lay out exactly how each of the top six spent, sold and netted out this summer. 50–55: Atlético Madrid preview — starting XIs, a score prediction, and Iraola’s first Champions League night as Liverpool boss. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Sep 2

S02 - Ep005 - AI Era Begins as Barcola Arrives

0:00–10:00 — Cold open & early season temperature check Intro, Iraola era outlook, and early squad-balance chat (Gakpo vs. Barcola profiles, Nyoni’s contract, ownership tangent). 10:00–20:00 — Newcastle: the midfield question Szoboszlai–Gravenberch pivot debate and where responsibility sits for the opening goal. 20:00–30:00 — Newcastle: goals, stats, system fixes Goal-by-goal recap, key stats, and formation ideas heading into the Forest preview. 30:00–40:00 — Forest: VAR and defensive concerns The Ndoye goal, the disallowed-goal and penalty controversies, and an early Alisson form check. 40:00–50:00 — Forest wrap-up into transfers Munoz’s equaliser, then the turn to Barcola’s deal and wider squad-balance frustrations. 50:00–60:00 — Deadline day verdict Right-back debate, Curtis Jones send-off, the 2027 signings, and the window rating. 60:00–72:00 — Rivals, Ipswich preview, sign-off Missed-out rivals’ business, the Ipswich preview, title-race predictions, and the closing thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com
Aug 17

S02 - Ep004 - 1892 Holdings, Anfield Wobbles & Rivals Reloaded

0:00–10:00 — The 1892 Holdings deal breaks Intro and holiday catch-up. First read on the FSG/1892 Holdings £1.65bn minority stake, official quotes from Mike Gordon and Amit Bhattia, and who Bhattia, Bezos and Saverin actually are. 10:00–20:00 — PSR to CSR and the spending question How the new CSR rules differ from PSR, comparisons to Arsenal’s and Man Utd’s spending models, and whether Bhatia’s QPR background makes him the right man to run recruitment. 20:00–30:00 — Bezos, Saverin and the exit strategy theory Deeper dive on Bezos and Saverin’s likely roles, the “FSG want out” theory tied to Michael Edwards’s departure and an NBA franchise angle, and the first pivot into stadium capacity. 30:00–40:00 — Anfield expansion and fan groups Whether Liverpool could or should expand beyond 61,000, comparisons to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Tottenham’s stadiums, and the case for engaging Spirit of Shankly and other supporter groups. 40:00–50:00 — Monaco 2-3 recap Iraola’s Anfield bow, first-half performance versus the second-half collapse, and individual verdicts on Ndukwe, Frimpong and the midfield double pivot. 50:00–60:00 — Como 2-0 and the midfield debate Praise for the Jacquet–Van Dijk pairing and the pressing performance, plus a wider discussion on whether Liverpool’s midfield problem is personnel or fitness. 60:00–70:00 — Rivals reload and transfer chatter Manager changes across the top six, title-race predictions, and a closing look at Ngumoha, Barcola and Mbaye before sign-off. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Trailer

S01 - Ep 000 - Welcome to Anfield Intelligence

Anfield Intelligence is a weekly Liverpool FC podcast hosted by Tej and Sandeep with your expert analysis. Expect proper previews before kick-off, clear-eyed reviews after full-time, and smart specials on tactics, set-pieces, and fan culture. No shouting, no doomscroll — just Reds chat with garnish. Subscribe for new episodes, notes, and the mailbag. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Liverpool FC covered in articles and podcasts. Clear analysis, fresh opinions and the fan voice that matters. anfieldintelligence.substack.com

Creator

Anfield Intelligence
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

54
Rating

Clean
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© Anfield Intelligence
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Anfield Intelligence Podcast