Essential Football

Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports digital football journalists, Ben Grounds and Zinny Boswell to take a look at the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Will it be Nottingham Forest, L...

Ron Walker, Pete Smith and Sam Blitz discuss the fall out from this week's London derby between Chelsea and Spurs, amid seeming mounting pressure on both managers.  Plus, they look ahead to the Premie...

Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports News' senior reporter, Melissa Reddy and Sky Sports digital football journalist Adam Bate to discuss the reports touting Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's replacement as L...

Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Nicholas Wright discuss the current situation at Manchester United and consider whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club can help them return to the top of Englis...

Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Richard Morgan discuss the huge clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford this weekend, and consider whether both sides must win the game as the Premier...

Sky Sports Senior Reporter Melissa Reddy joins Ron Walker to discuss Xabi Alonso's decision to stay in Germany at Bayer Leverkusen, where Liverpool might turn next in their pursuit of Jurgen Klopp's s...

Sky Sports football journalists, Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Sam Blitz are back after the international break to preview the huge Super Sunday games between Manchester City and Arsenal and Liverpool's...

Manchester City defender and former England captain Steph Houghton has announced her retirement from football at the end of the season. Houghton is City's most decorated player - she's won the League,...

Ron Walker, Peter Smith and Sam Blitz discuss the Premier League title race and make a case for each of the three contenders - Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

It's Liverpool against Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp versus Pep Guardiola! Michael Dawson and Peter Drury join Sky Sports' Peter Smith to look ahead to this huge match at Anfield, which you can watch,...

Michael Dawson and Peter Drury join Pete Smith to look ahead to Chelsea vs Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

Sky Sports' Peter Smith and Melissa Reddy discuss the latest on Liverpool's hunt for a successor to Jurgen Klopp, weighing up the attributes of the key contenders and the criteria the Anfield club wil...

Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher reacts to Jurgen Klopp’s decision to leave Anfield at the end of the season.  

For more on this story, keep across Sky Sports News and ...

As he prepares to return from an eight month ban for breaching gambing rules, Brentford striker Ivan Toney sits down with Darren Lewis to discuss his time away from the game.

Toney describes how he a...

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke exclusively sits down with Sky Sports to reflect on a successful 2023, looks ahead to Euro 2024, Scott McTominay’s impact, his squad selection dilemas and more.

The England manager Gareth Southgate sits down with Sky Sports News' Senior Reporter Rob Dorsett to look back at 2023 and look ahead to next summer's Euros.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher joins Peter Smith to look ahead to the huge Saturday lunchtime showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad, which you can watch live on Sky Sports. C...

England host Australia on Friday – 20 years after the Socceroos stunned the Golden Generation. 

In February 2003, sandwiched between a dominant Australia Ashes win and England’s famous rugby World Cu...

In this special episode of Essential Football Ben Ransom and Jamie Carragher discuss the concern around football tragedy abuse.

They are joined by Joe Blott from the FSA, Charlotte Hennessey, who los...

In an exclusive interview, Cesc Fabregas describes his move into coaching with Italian side, Como after retiring from playing football and says he would like to manage a team in the Premier League one...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return for a final Essential Football podcast to reflect on England's defeat to Spain in the Women's World Cup final. 

They discuss where the game was won and lost, w...

We're are almost there - Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return to preview the Women's World Cup final as England face Spain on Sunday. 

The pair discuss whether Lauren James should come straight ba...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return as England reach their first ever World Cup final, beating Australia 3-1 in Sydney. 

The pair discuss the moments that swung the game in England's favour, incl...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return to preview the upcoming Women's World Cup semi-finals. 

The pair chat England's match against co-hosts Australia, which could see the return of Sam Kerr. They ...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return to reflect on England's 2-1 win against Colombia in the Women's World Cup quarter-finals. 

The pair discuss how England improved against an impressive Colombia...

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith on the Essential Football Podcast to look ahead to a blockbuster Premier League season ahead – and dissect some of the huge talking points the transf...

Ahead of the new Premier League season, Dougie Critchley sits down with the voices behind the action, Bill Leslie, Rob Hawthorne, Daniel Mann, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and newest addition, Pet...

Sky Sports football journalists Charlotte Marsh and Laura Hunter take a look at England's upcoming Women's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia. 

They discuss how Sarina Wiegman may set up her te...

In a special podcast on the Saudi Pro League, Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol talks to Peter Smith about why there has suddenly been big spending from clubs in Saudi Arabia on European-b...

In the latest edition of Sky Sports’ Future of Football podcast series, we hear from senior reporter Rob Dorsett, who provides all the details of UEFA’s plans for Champions League expansion and FIFA’s...

Anton Toloui and Ron Walker are back with an England reaction edition of the Essential Podcast from the Women's World Cup. 

Anton and Ron look back on England's fortunate last-16 win over Nigeria, wh...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh are back with a bumper edition of the Essential Podcast from the Women's World Cup. 

Sky Sports News' Fadumo Olow joins to discuss the biggest moments and shocks from...

On a Future of Football podcast special, we hear from new Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, Gary Neville and others about where tactics are heading in the next decades.
Sky Sports football features w...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return to reflect on England's 6-1 win against China in their final World Cup group game.
Lauren James dazzled again as her two goals and three assists fired England i...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh are back to preview England's final Women's World Cup group game against China on Tuesday. The pair discuss how England will cope without Keira Walsh, the joy of watch...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return to take a look back at England's 1-0 win against Denmark in their second Women's World Cup game, leaving them on the verge of qualification to the last 16.

In the latest part of our Future of Football series, David Garrido considers how climate change could affect the way stadiums are used by clubs and fans.

David is joined by Dale Vince (Forest Green R...

Anton Toloui and Charlotte Marsh return with the Essential Football podcast, previewing England's second group game against Denmark. 

They discuss what changes - if any - Sarina Wiegman could make as...

In the first of our Future of Football podcasts, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher joins Ron Walker to talk about how the laws of the game might change over the coming decades - and expla...

Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui and Sky Sports’ senior football reporter Charlotte Marsh react to England’s 1-0 win over Haiti in the Women's World Cup. 

They discuss Kerly Theus’ heroics in go...

Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui and Sky Sports’ senior football reporter Charlotte Marsh return with the Essential Football podcast, previewing the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

They chat England...

On the last Essential Football Weekend Wrap of the season, Oliver Yew takes you through a round of games which saw Everton retain their Premier League status, while Leicester and Leeds dropped down to...

The TV legend that is Jeff Stelling joins Ron Walker for a special Essential Football on his last day at Sky Sports to look back on his 29 years in the Soccer Saturday chair.
Jeff talks us through his...

Roberto Firmino waved goodbye to Anfield last weekend and on Sunday he will make his final appearance for Liverpool at Southampton before leaving the club this summer. 

After his emotional send-off f...

With the Premier League reaching its conclusion this weekend, Sky Sports football journalists Peter Smith, Nick Wright and Sam Blitz discuss, debate and celebrate the stars of the 2022/23 season. 

Yo...

Coming towards the end of a bumpier first year in charge at Chelsea than either Todd Boehly or Behdad Eghbali could have ever envisaged, Sky Sports digital football journalist Joe Shread looks back on...

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Peter Smith takes you through a round of games which saw Manchester City lift the Premier League trophy after Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest.

We hear...

On a special edition of Essential Football, Melissa Reddy, Paul Gilmour and Lyall Thomas join Ron Walker to look ahead to Mauricio Pochettino's impending appointment as Chelsea's third manager of the ...

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Peter Smith takes you through a dramatic and potentially decisive round of Premier League games which saw Man City move to within touching distance of th...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring reporter analysis and manager reaction from up and down the top-flight.

Ron Walker looks back at Arse...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring reporter analysis and manager reaction from up and down the top-flight.

Ben Grounds looks back at Man...

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith on the Essential Football Podcast to reflect on Manchester City’s potentially title-race defining win over Arsenal on Wednesday night, analysing what...

In a rare Premier League Midweek Wrap with all 20 teams playing over three days, Ron Walker takes you through Manchester City moving a step closer to the Premier League title after victory over Arsena...

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Oliver Yew takes you through the weekend's Premier League action starting at Emirates Stadium - where Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville discuss Arsenal's ...

On a special edition of Essential Football 10 years almost to the day since Manchester United were last crowned Premier League champions, Zinny Boswell joins Ron Walker to discuss the club's lost deca...

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Ron Walker takes you through the weekend's action starting at the London Stadium - where Lewis Jones explains how Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead for the s...

Sky Sports pundit and former Nottingham Forest captain Michael Dawson joins the Essential Football Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s game between his old club and Manchester United.

With Forest winle...

On this weekend's Premier League Weekend Wrap, Arsenal and Liverpool played out a 2-2 thriller to damage the Gunners' title charge. Gary Neville argues why this could be a good point for Arsenal, whil...

Jamie Carragher joins the Essential Football Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s huge game between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.

The Sky Sports pundit assesses the impact victory or defeat would ha...

On a special Premier League Midweek Wrap, we review the results which had a big impact in the tight race for the top-four and the even tighter battle to avoid relegation.

Lewis Jones reports from New...

On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, Graham Potter loses his job at Chelsea after defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol explains why the Blues ...

On an England special edition of Essential Football after Gareth Southgate's side begin Euro 2024 qualification with a perfect double of wins over Italy and Ukraine, Oliver Yew and Nick Wright reflect...

On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, Antonio Conte goes on a wild rant after his side throw away a 3-1 lead to draw at Southampton.

There's frustration for Chelsea too, with Joe Shread at Stamf...

"Tottenham's story is this. In 20 years there is this owner, and they never won anything - but why?"

Hear every moment of an extraordinary post-match eruption from Antonio Conte after Spurs threw awa...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.

It's as you were i...

On a dramatic weekend in the Premier League, we start off at Anfield where Roy Keane dissects Man Utd's battering at the hands of Liverpool, before Mo Salah explains how long he has waited to become t...

Simeon Gholam is joined by Sky Sports presenter David Prutton and special guests Neil Lennon and Matt Taylor for a frank look at management, being out of work and their careers as players.

The trio t...

Sky Sports digital football journalists Simeon Gholam and Zinny Boswell give their full-time reaction as Manchester United beat Newcastle United to win the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

It's Man Utd's firs...

On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, we start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Declan Olley and Joe Shread have been watching Spurs' first league win over Chelsea in nine attempts - raisin...

Ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, we take an in-depth look at the Wembley showdown between Man Utd and Newcastle.
Will Marcus Rashford continue his Man Utd goal-scoring form on his first retur...

On an Essential Football podcast assessing where Liverpool's season has hit the rocks - again - after a 5-2 thrashing by Real Madrid on Tuesday night, Sky Sports News reporter Melissa Reddy joins Ron ...

It’s been another Premier League round packed with drama and it finished with a change at the top, a new arrival in the top four and some serious shifts in and around the relegation zone.
Struggling t...

On the latest Essential Football, Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith joins Ron Walker to look ahead to the weekend’s Premier League action.

With Arsenal knocked off the top of the table, how will Mikel Art...

Essential Football is back with a Weekend Wrap of the Premier League's fixtures this weekend.

It was a difficult few days for VAR, as the PGMOL admitted two mistakes in Arsenal's draw against Brentfo...

On another special edition of Essential Football, we get to the bottom of the return of the European Super League after their backers released a 10-point plan for the future of the continental game on...

On the latest edition of Essential Football, Jamie Carragher joins Ron Walker to preview this weekend's Merseyside Derby between out-of-form Liverpool and Sean Dyche's Everton.

Carragher assesses why...

On Monday morning, the Premier League announced a shock raft of charges into six-time champions Manchester City, concerning more than 100 breaches of its regulations spanning almost a decade.

An inve...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring reporter analysis from up and down the top flight.
Ron Walker and Zinny Boswell reflect on Harry Kane ...

On the latest Essential Football episode we take a closer look at the rise of Eddie Howe. The Newcastle boss will celebrate 600 games as a manager when he takes charge of the Magpies at home to West H...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.

Richard Morgan looks back at a thrilling contest b...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring reporter analysis and manager reaction from up and down the top-flight

Peter Smith looks back at Manc...

Essential Football is back - and so is the Premier League after the World Cup break.

Looking ahead to the resumption of the top flight, Ron Walker is joined by mental performance consultant Mark Bowd...

It’s the final Sky Sports World Cup podcast! Lionel Messi has his hands on the trophy at long last. Joining Ron Walker to look back on a sensational five weeks of football is Sky Sports News senior re...

On the latest episode of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by Gary Neville to discuss who he thinks has been the tournament's best player, best youngster, biggest flop and m...

Following England's defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals, Ron Walker and Nick Wright are joined by Kaveh Solhekol to discuss Gareth Southgate's future, whether he will stay in post for the Euro 2024...

On the latest episode of the Sky Sports World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by Jamie Redknapp to dissect England’s devastating 2-1 quarter-final defeat to holders France.

They discuss Ha...

On the latest Sky Sports World Cup podcast, host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports senior reporter Melissa Reddy and French football expert Jonathan Johnson to look ahead to England’s huge quarter-fi...

On the latest episode of the Sky Sports World Cup podcast, host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett to chew over the fat of England's 3-0 win over Senegal in the last-1...

Joe Thomlinson is joined by Dharmesh Sheth and James Allcott to look ahead to Sunday's huge knockout game against Senegal. They discuss the selection conundrums facing Gareth Southgate, the threat pos...

In episode seven of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by Jamie Redknapp to discuss a Marcus Rashford inspired England win over Wales and the threats that await Gareth Southg...

In episode six of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports News reporters Kaveh Solhekol and Geraint Hughes. They debate whether England should be concerned by the USA per...

In episode five of the Sky Sports World Cup podcast host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett and Geraint Hughes to look back on a tough day for the home nations. They discuss if Harry...

In episode four of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by former England defender Jamie Carragher to discuss the USA game and whether we’ll see another thrilling performance. ...

In episode three of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by former England international Jamie Redknapp to discuss the impressive result pioneered by Jude Bellingham that claim...

In episode two of Sky Sports' World Cup podcast, host Joe Thomlinson is joined by former England international Karen Carney to discuss who they think will start for England in their opening Group B ma...

The Sky Sports World Cup podcast is here! 


In the first edition, host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports News’ trio Rob Dorsett, Melissa Reddy and Geraint Hughes for all the latest on the build-up t...

Cristiano Ronaldo has gone public about his unhappiness at Manchester United – saying he feels ‘betrayed’ by the club and that Erik Ten Hag and other members of staff are trying to force him out.

On ...

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's final Premier League matches before the World Cup, featuring reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight....

Essential Football is back ahead of the final weekend of Premier League football before the World Cup break! 

We hear from Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Wolves – can the Gun...

On a special snap Essential Football podcast in the wake of Gareth Southgate's England squad announcement, Ron Walker speaks to Alan Smith about the 26 men heading for Qatar - and a few of those who a...

Essential Football

Latest episodes

Essential Questions: Forest, Luton or Burnley? Who will avoid relegation?

Essential Questions: Chelsea & Spurs - will Pochettino & Postecoglou bring success at their clubs?

Essential Questions: Is Slot the man for Liverpool?

Essential Questions: Can Jim Ratcliffe get Man Utd back to the top?

Essential Questions: Is Man Utd vs Liverpool 'must-win' for both sides?

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