Hand Of Pod

In episode 269 of Hand Of Pod, Sam and Andrés look back on (what they saw of) a weekend which saw Boca Juniors move six points clear at the top of the Superliga, keeping their 100% record whilst River Plate were held to a draw for the third match in a row. Boca's ability to dig in, River's carelessness and the relegation battle are among the subjects up for discussion. Listeners' questions cover the Copa Argentina and the national team.

The two hundred and sixty-eighth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, Peter and Andrés discuss Argentina's qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup, in spite of a 0-0 draw at home to Peru last Thursday and owing rather more to a hat trick from Lionel Messi in Quito which brought a 3-1 win away to Ecuador on Tuesday, in the last match of the campaign. What comes next, what needs to be tweaked, and what should remain the same are all up for discussion.

The two hundred and sixty-seventh episode of Hand Of Pod is a look at the Argentine national team as they approach two high-pressure World Cup qualifiers at home to Peru and away to Ecuador, which will either see them finally make it to Russia 2018 or not (all right, or end up in the playoff). Sam and English Dan give their thoughts on the four(!) lineups tried by Jorge Sampaoli in training on Tuesday, and discuss what needs to change from last month's disappointing double header if the selección are to make it over the line at last. We also look at the weekend in the Superliga, where Boca Juniors kept up their 100% record – just – and Arsenal de Sarandí stunned Banfield to record their first points of the season.

The two hundred and sixty-sixth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and Andrés look back on a weekend during which River Plate dropped league points for the first time this season to leave Boca Juniors as the only team with a 100% record after four matches. There were impressive wins for Banfield and Colón, who aren't far behind the top two, and we look at a poor week for Estudiantes and San Lorenzo, who played one another on Monday evening. There's also a brief look forward to an all-Argentine Copa Libertadores semi-final, after River's thrashing last Thursday of Jorge Wilstermann in their quarter-final second leg, and Lanús' penalty shootout win over San Lorenzo.

The two hundred and sixty-fifth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and Andrés discuss a weekend of league action in which River Plate and champions Boca Juniors continue to be the two teams to beat in the Superliga, even as River slumped last week to first leg defeat in the Copa Libertadores away to Jorge Wilstermann of Bolivia. There's also talk of Jorge Sampaoli's latest national team list (call-ups have gone out to players based abroad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Ecuador), and a change of venue for the Peru match to La Bombonera. As well as all this, Independiente's Alexis Zárate (currently on loan at Temperley, perhaps not for much longer) has been found guilty of rape, and there's some discussion of that verdict and the media reaction in Argentina.

In the two hundred and sixty-fourth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Andrés are joined by Julián for his second appearance, around two and a half years after his first. We look back on a second weekend of Superliga action which saw wins for River and Boca, a 4-1 tonking of Temperley by Racing, and - shock, horror - a goalless draw between Rosario Central and San Lorenzo. Last week's national team talk has sparked something of a discussion among our Twitter followers, so we address that in the second half, along with a look at why the national team are moving to La Bombonera for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Peru.

Hand Of Pod returns from an extended winter break, and in episode 263 Sam is joined by English Dan and Andrés to run the rule over Argentina's latest two disappointing World Cup qualifying performances. What went wrong against Uruguay and Venezuela? Is the problem solely tactical or are there, in fact, not really any of the right options even available for selection in the midfield? These are just two of the question we ask. In the second half, we take a very brief look at how the Superliga season began two weeks ago, in an opening round Sam didn't see and which Andrés and Dan have mostly forgotten. Don't worry, we'll be back up to full speed next week.

The two hundred and sixty-second episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and Andrés bid farewell to a memorable 2016-17 season which ended with Boca Juniors crowned champions of Argentina for the thirty-second time, and with Sarmiento, Atlético de Rafaela, Quilmes and Aldosivi being relegated. Sam takes you through the ins and outs of Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana qualification (still pending, because the Copa Argentina final isn't until the end of the year), and we discuss what made Boca worthy champions, what some of the other clubs will be thinking of their seasons, and our players of the season, including Sam's Domestic Argentina Squad, which you'll find on the HOP blogpost accompanying this episode. This is our last episode for a couple of months - we'll be back when Sam returns from his holidays, probably at the start of September.

In the two hundred and sixty-first episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam and Andrés look back on Jorge Sampaoli's first two matches as Argentina manager, which ended in two victories, seven goals scored and none conceded - although one was a lot closer as a contest than the other. We also cast our eyes forwards towards his competitive debut at the end of August, where they'll be no margin for error. As well as this, we've a title run-in to consider, with this weekend's matches followed almost immediately by a round in midweek; by the time we next record, Boca Juniors could very well be champions.

The two hundred and sixtieth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and Andrés looking back over a weekend which saw River Plate lose ground in potentially decisive fashion to Boca Juniors, whose win over Independiente - combined with River's defeat to San Lorenzo - sent them four points clear with just three matches remaining. It was also an interesting weekend for the relegation battle, and we look over the key results there. On Friday, Jorge Sampaoli's reign as Argentina manager begins in earnest with a friendly in Australia against Brazil, and we also preview that.