Hand Of Pod

Alejandro Sabella, who managed Argentina to the final of the 2014 World Cup, died on Tuesday. In this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, Santi, Tony, English Dan and Andrés begin by looking back on his life in football, before reviewing the action over the last week in the various Copas – Diego Maradona, Libertadores and Sudamericana – that Argentine sides are involved in at present.

After the emotion of last week, this week Sam, Tony, Santi and Andrés return to Earth with a look at what's gone on in the Copa Diego Armando Maradona, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and women's top flight since we last recorded.

If you're listening to this podcast in the week it comes out, you know what it's about. On Wednesday 25th November 2020, Diego Maradona died. In this week's HOP Sam, English Dan, Santi, Tony, Andrés and Seba put aside talk about recent matches for an extended talk about the life, career and impact of a player who captured the popular imagination like few – if any – others both at home and around the world. Diego Maradona, QEPD.

In this week's HOP, Sam, English Dan, Santi, Andrés and (for the first few minutes, before he gets cut off) Tony look back on a World Cup qualifying double header which again saw Argentina look a bit iffy at home but impress away, before reviewing the latest round of Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol action.

At the end of this week, HOP turns ten years old, and we're celebrating with a bumper episode. Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi review the recent action from the Copa Sudamericana and Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol, consider the thorny issue of how clubs should deal with players awaiting trial in a country with a legal system which moves as slowly as Argentina's and bid farewell to Fernando Gago, who announced his retirement shortly before we recorded. We also look forward to Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifying double header and look back on our favourite memories of Argentine football (and the podcast) over the last decade.

It's been a long, long lockdown here in Buenos Aires, but last weekend Argentine domestic football finally returned, and in this week's episode Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi look back on the first weekend of the Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol, a mini-tournament for the top flight clubs which will keep us entertained (after a fashion) for the next couple of months. We also discuss the Copa Sudamericana and the national team.

No recording last week means Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi have two weeks of action to catch up on in this week's HOP. We look back on Argentina's first two matches in the men's World Cup qualifiers and also review the last round of Copa Libertadores group action and the draw for the knockout stage, as well as looking at the Copa Sudamericana draw. And there's a bit of news about the upcoming Copa de la Liga Profesional, which kicks off at the end of next week.

The 2022 World Cup qualifiers are finally upon us, and in this week's HOP Sam, English Dan, Andrés, Tony and Peter preview Argentina's opening double header at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia. Prior to doing that, we look back on last week's Copa Libertadores games.

This week on Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi look back on the first two post-lockdown rounds of Copa Libertadores matches, which went better than expected for Argentine clubs. We also run the rule over Lionel Scaloni's Argentina squad announcement, and give you the latest news on the likelihood of domestic football returning to Argentina this year. No idea what's going on with Sam's voice in this one, by the way.

This time on Hand Of Pod, Sam is joined by English Dan, Tony and Santi to discuss how preparations are going for the return of the Copa Libertadores next week – in particular at Boca Juniors, whose plans have been somewhat hamstrung by almost the entire first team and a bunch of coaches testing positive for COVID-19. Will Argentine clubs be at a disadvantage due to not having played football in six months? What's happening to the women's game in the country? These questions and more are answered here.