Jon Mackenzie

Jon Mackenzie

@jonmackenzie.bsky.social

Writer and presenter at The Athletic. Noticer. Possession is nine tenths of the lore. Buy my book, The Spectre of Pep, here: https://geni.us/TheSpectreOfPep

15.4K followers337 following880 posts

Jon Mackenzie reposted

John Muller
@johnspacemuller.com

Got curious about Haaland's ability to stay onside so I took @futi.live data, built an xOffside model, figured out which pass types and phases of play matter, ranked the best offside traps and onside attackers in the PL, translated it to goals and dollars and wrote it up in ESPN No you need a hobby

espn.comWhy does Haaland score so many goals? Because he's elite at staying onsideWe know what a dominant scorer Erling Haaland is, but it often goes unnoticed how good he is at avoiding a striker's worst enemy: the offside trap.
John Muller@johnspacemuller.com

Would love to see someone try to put an expected goal value on Haaland's supernatural ability to stay onside

Jon Mackenzie reposted

David Rafferty
@davidrafferty.bsky.social

Ok, this is catnip to me. Football tactics discussed as philosophy, with Hegel and Gramsci and metaphysics thrown in. I’m only halfway through the episode. I have ordered the book. Some observations: pca.st/episode/140d...

pca.stJon Mackenzie, "The Spectre of Pep: How Guardiola Haunts Modern Football Tactics" (Seven Dials, 2026)The Spectre of Pep: How Guardiola Haunts Modern Football Tactics (Seven Dials, 2026) by Jon Mackenzie A spectre is haunting European football. Watch almost any game, no matter the level, and you…
Jon Mackenzie
@jonmackenzie.bsky.social

If you're coming to our live show at the Leicester Square Theatre tonight, you can pick up *signed* copies of the book in the lobby BEFORE the show and DURING the interval but NOT AFTER the show has ended. Just a heads up.

Jon Mackenzie reposted

Ahmed Walid
@ahmed-walid.bsky.social

One interesting aspect of Kai Havertz's roams towards the right wing is that he can attack the defensive line from a vantage point when Arsenal move the ball inside. Analysis of Havertz's right-sided roams against Chelsea. www.nytimes.com/athletic/757...

nytimes.comHow Kai Havertz’s movement makes Arsenal’s right side even more dangerous (Gift Article)The German's roams to that flank repeatedly gave the Premier League champions an overload against Chelsea, which they took full advantage of
Jon Mackenzie
@jonmackenzie.bsky.social

If you're in Manchester next week, there are still some tickets available for this event where I'll be in convo with @htomufc.bsky.social about my new book. Come along! www.waterstones.com/events/the-s...

waterstones.comThe Spectre of Pep: An Evening with Jon Mackenzie | Events at Waterstones Bookshops | WaterstonesEvents at Waterstones get you closer to the books and authors you admire most. Find information and tickets about The Spectre of Pep: An Evening with Jon Mackenzie today.
Jon Mackenzie
@jonmackenzie.bsky.social

Did You Notice Xabi Alonso's Chelsea are winning without the ball? A little bit of a dive into the strange phenomenon of Chelsea's extremely low posesssion in their first few games. Can it last? Could they even mount a title challenge like this? www.nytimes.com/athletic/755...

nytimes.comDid You Notice: Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea are winning – without the ball (Gift Article)Alonso is a coach who has a track record of evolving his teams but, for now, expect Chelsea to keep ceding possession
Jon Mackenzie
@jonmackenzie.bsky.social

Had a great time talking about the more theoretical aspects of the book with Tom here. Warning: Hegel is mentioned...

Pro Revolution Soccer@prorevsoccer.bsky.social

The Spectre of Pep The erudite, the eloquent, the perspicacious @jonmackenzie.bsky.social joins to discuss his brilliant new book about the rise and fall of Pep Guardiola, The Spectre of Pep. www.patreon.com/ProRevolutio...

patreon.comJon Mackenzie on the Spectre of Pep | Pro Revolution SoccerThe erudite, eloquent, the perspicacious Jon Mackenzie joins to discuss his brilliant new book about the rise and fall of Pep Guardiola, The

Jon Mackenzie reposted

Tom Williams
@shirleymush.bsky.social

This really was a speed run of a book that deserves more time, but I had a blast talking about it with @jonmackenzie.bsky.social, who I think has taken a step towards establishing himself in the pantheon of the greats alongside eg Goldblatt, Wilson.

Pro Revolution Soccer@prorevsoccer.bsky.social

The Spectre of Pep The erudite, the eloquent, the perspicacious @jonmackenzie.bsky.social joins to discuss his brilliant new book about the rise and fall of Pep Guardiola, The Spectre of Pep. www.patreon.com/ProRevolutio...

patreon.comJon Mackenzie on the Spectre of Pep | Pro Revolution SoccerThe erudite, eloquent, the perspicacious Jon Mackenzie joins to discuss his brilliant new book about the rise and fall of Pep Guardiola, The

Jon Mackenzie reposted

Alex Zalben
@azalben.bsky.social

Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com

imaginationlibrary.comDolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AUDolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.

Jon Mackenzie reposted

Lloyd Naerger
@naerger.bsky.social

Keeping up my valiant effort to read more books in 2026. John Robins’ Thirst and Jason Schreier’s Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry are two recent - if v.heavy - bangers. Up next, and hopefully not quite as emotionally crushing, The Spectre of Pep by @jonmackenzie.bsky.social

Jon Mackenzie reposted

YankeeGunner
@arsenalvisionpodcast.com

🚨NEW for Patrons🚨 Has Mikel Escaped the Spectre of Pep? with @jonmackenzie.bsky.social A really interesting look at Mikel's tactical development and where he goes next! Topics below! www.patreon.com/arsenalvisio...

patreon.comHas Mikel Arteta Escaped The Spectre of Pep? | ArsenalVision PodcastHas Mikel Arteta Escaped The Spectre of Pep? by ArsenalVision Podcast on Patreon. Join ArsenalVision Podcast's community for exclusive content and updates.