The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary

Just about everyone who cares has a theory on what's wrong at Arsenal. One Mike's stance was so white hot that Twitter is yet to recover. The other Mike started a European war when he suggested that the top English teams would be better if they could sign the best players away from the teams directly below them. Have your extinguisher nearby for this one, your listening device may spontaneously combust!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Analytics go out the window when craziness takes over, which is how the two Mikes feel about one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history (they still talk about it). Meanwhile, a clash between Chelsea and Manchester United in the F.A. Cup somehow turned into a Paul Pogba bashing, and just to keep things ugly, we close things out with many thoughts on the Lukaku situation at Everton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Some guy named Mike Goodman joins the podcast to figure out what's going on with Klopp’s squad on Merseyside, as well catch up on everything he's missed, from Claudio Rainieri's exit, PSG's thrashing of Barcelona and Caley's time spent watching "Newsies.”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

With  Mike Goodman still on paternity leave, Michael Caley welcomes Ben Daniels to the pod to talk about the big stories of the day. They cover Barcelona's tragic situation of merely having a good shot at winning two trophies this year, after winning merely two last year as well. Both Michael and Ben were drawn fully into the magic of the League Cup, where Southampton failed to gain a deserved victory over Manchester United. But, they ask, what does it all MEAN you know? And then to Italy, where both Michael and Ben took their first looks at upstarts Atalanta and came away impressed.Cap it off with the longest Bible History Corner ever and this was a bonanza of soccer and not soccer.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

One Mike continues to march alone while another is graduating from training wheels as a father. In this episode, the remaining Mike welcomes a first guest, Bobby Gardiner, to break down the issues with the teams scrapping at the bottom of the Premier League table with a special spotlight on the defending champions. Then, Mike welcomes in Conrad Appiah of Opta to figure out what goes on behind the scenes to record all the data that's vital to the world of soccer analytics.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Quick note off the top: The audio quality of this episode isn't up to our normal standards, and we're sorry for that. This was our second attempt, and we decided a grainy-sounding something was better than nothing this week. SB Nation's Graham MacAree joins Michael Caley to talk about some weird results, the questions we're not asking in analytics, and yes, a digression that ties together Alexis Sanchez and the Peloponnesian War.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

As the fixture congestion fades, the race for the top four tightens and the two Mikes are starting to worry about a few clubs. Chelsea and Liverpool drew, which meant little for Chelsea but confirmed some suspicions about Liverpool. Elsewhere, Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs all failed to get results when they figured they would. Is the hill getting steeper for one or all of them? Finally, the transfer window is closed, so which moves were noteworthy?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

What do you do when your midfield doesn't really exist? You put Yaya Toure there by himself to hold down the fort behind a tidal wave of attacking options. It nearly worked for Pep Guardiola's side, but there was plenty to unpack from how both teams handled the opposition's approach. The two Mikes break down the match before turning their attention to "the magic of the cup." That's right, they zero in on the biggest matches and storylines in this weekend's FA Cup, from PSG vs. Monaco to Nice's run of form to the suddenly important clash between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. And if you're saying to yourself, "Hey, those aren't FA Cup stories," well, that's the joke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

In the most congested part of the schedule for England's top clubs, some seem to be solidifying their style while others are falling off their expected pace. The two Mikes dive into whether the solution to Pep's woes at City is to buy more stars, if it's just too late for Liverpool to make a useful addition in this transfer window, and where they'd strengthen at clubs where there are less obvious holes to fill (United, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea). Also, it turns out Hawai'i is very nice, and Caley's dog vehemently objects to the Double Pivot Pod.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Spurs had a very specific plan to derail Chelsea's epic run of results, and it worked, over and over and over. How did it work? Well, the two Mikes have some ideas about that and a few about what it means for both squads going forward. Then, they run through the issues City is having, and just how concerning they might be down the stretch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show