I caught up with Sunday Times' Jonathan Northcroft who wrote an article on "how Pep Guardiola and data destroyed" football's beautiful variety. We discuss and debate the merits of the Pep school of footballing philosophy, starting from Cruyff, to those now copying or taking forward Pep's approach.

Here's Jonathan's article, which is a must-read: https://www.thetimes.com/sport/footba...

In this podcast, created thanks to the wonderful people at Greene King, I caught up with some well known @avfcofficial fans, and we discussed their beloved club. I also share my reasons for picking Aston Villa as the subject of my next book, which you on the channel may already have figured out, called Awakening The Giant. So enjoy this podcast of More Than A Game (Tales On Tap) sponsored by #GreeneKingSport.

• Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter

• For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintx.co.uk

I have had the most wonderful chat with Mutaz Barshim and Gian Marcotamber (the two high jumpers that decided to share gold in Tokyo Olympics) in the Gala of the Aspire Academy Global Summit in Rome if front of an audience that felt captivated by these two special human beings. What a story they have to tell.

In fact it is so wonderful that I decided to do a podcast about it.

• Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter

• For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintx.co.uk

I spoke to Julen Lopetegui about Wolves and he explained with a very calm voice the alarming situation he finds himself in. You have to listen to the Spanish manager. It is very difficult to hear so much honesty and sincerity.

• Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter

• For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintx.co.uk

The transfer of Figo from Barcelona (where he was captain and symbol of a way of understanding the game and football) hurt many people. And it is not clear how it all happened. That is why it remains fresh in our minds. With the release of The Figo Affair on Netflix, I decided to speak to its two directors, the award-winning duo David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, and dissect the documentary but especially the ins and outs of the then World-record breaking deal.

• Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter

• Podcast cover image by Maribel Herruzo

• For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintsports.co.uk

I have not found many people like Mike Clegg in my years in football. Intense, vanguardist, creative and flexible, deeply religious. So of course he had to be at some point one of the special episodes of the Pure Football Podcast.

• Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter

• Podcast cover image by Maribel Herruzo

• For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintsports.co.uk

A very special episode.

I decided to take my friends @gmallamaci and @UCFB_Dan to the HQ of @FootballManager, a game they played 1000s of times

We spoke to @milesSI and discovered fascinating little secrets of the legendary game

•Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter •Podcast cover image by Maribel Herruzo •For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintsports.co.uk

In this episode of the Pure Football Podcast, Guillem speaks to iconic former goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel. The former Manchester United stopper chats about Sir Alex of course, and his son Kasper, but also about elite mentality, his own fascinating past, and even Pep Guardiola.

•Follow @purefootballpod on Twitter •Podcast cover image by Maribel Herruzo •For all podcast enquiries please email george@blueprintsports.co.uk