The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary

We're back and the Premier League has now shut down, and it raises more specifically the question of what sports will be while we're shut down, so we talked about it on this podcast, too.Support the show

The COVID-19 not-yet-a-pandemic is already disrupting the Italian football season, and if the projections from epidemiologists are to be trusted, it won't be for just a few weeks and it certainly won't be just Italy. We dig into the newest example of how sports themselves don't stick to sports.Then we talk about relegation, honestly, pretty much as if there will be a normal Premier League season. It's hard to keep your brain in pandemic mode.Support the show

Manchester City have been banned from the Champions League for the next two seasons, and fined $30 million for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. City are appealing to the CAS. The Two Mikes explain what the hell CAS is and also sort through the rest of the mess to clear it all up for you. Der Spiegel article on Football Leaks: https://www.spiegel.de/international/manchester-city-exposed-bending-the-rules-to-the-tune-of-millions-a-1236346.htmlTariq Panja on UEFA and PSG: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/sports/psg-uefa-ffp.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=ArticleSupport the show

The knockout stages of the Champions League are upon us, so the Two Mikes break down each matchup. In this episode, they talk Atleti-Liverpool, Dortmund-PSG, Atalanta-Valencia and Leipzig-Spurs. Support the show

The two Mikes race through the latest results in England (and what we've learned of late about the clubs in the thick of the most noteworthy results) before turning their attention to more of your questions. Support the show

We start with one of our "Mousa Dembele" pods where we scout a player using the stats. Here it's United's new signing Bruno Fernandes, an elite creator who may or may not be a possession sieve, and what to expect from him and why we're excited to watch him in a top league.Then we take listener questions about what "ball progression" means and why different measurements are proliferating, about the ongoing transformation of the fullback position and its knock-on effects on football tactics, on what sorts of attackers United needs to target beyond Bruno, and more.Support the show

These were not two slates of matches that reward analysis. Chelsea-Arsenal and Everton-Newcastle actively defy any attempt to analyze them. But we find our way through, taking stock of the extent of Chelsea's decline, Wolves' rise, and whether there are any new takes we can wring out of Spurs and United anymore.Support the show

Nate Scott of For the Win and USA Today sits in for Caley and talks Fulham soccer, off ball movement and the dangers of playing pretty football at the bottom of the Premier League table with the remaining Mike. Make sure to also check out Nate's true crime podcast, The Sneak, about an armored car heist and the once great athlete who committed it."For more on The Sneak, see here: https://wondery.com/shows/the-sneak/Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

This week at patreon.com/doublepivot we've got a continuation of last week's player pod with discussions of players around Europe including among others Achraf Hakimi, Fede Valverde, Christopher Nkunku and, uh, Messi.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Halfway through the season, we've seen enough of key players at every club to make some observations. The two Mikes point out a player or two from nine EPL clubs (Arsenal, Brighton, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Norwich City, Sheffield United, Newcastle, Palace) that you should be noticing, and not always for good reasons. Part 2 (and the other 11 clubs) follows on Patreon.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show