Howler Magazine

City-Chelsea and Liverpool-United. Neither was, say, fun to watch, unless you're a connoisseur of injuries. At least we had drama with Kepa and Sarri. And for this pod, the fact that the games were bad requires explanation! Why didn't Liverpool and City just whup 'em? Tune in to find out.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Caley's throat was not up to two hours of podcasting this week so the only Double Pivot is on the subscription side, at patreon.com/doublepivot, where Mike and Michael give you their takes on Liverpool-Bayern and Caley wades into the stats to see what he can glean from them on games he did not watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Chelsea's sudden stumble is on the verge of an all-out spiral, and the two Mikes are trying to figure out why it happened and the reasonable steps should it not get any better. Should Sarri be given another year and allowed to keep shaping the roster for the future? At the other end of the table, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Burnley, Newcastle, Brighton and Cardiff are fighting to stay out of the spot above Fulham and Huddersfield in the relegation battle. Who does enough to stay up?Learn mor...

Thanks to injuries, some key players have been moved around in Liverpool's formation, and it's not going great, as evidenced by draws to West Ham and Leicester. Meanwhile, City don't look like their usual steamroller selves, but it hasn't mattered. What does it all mean? And what would it take for Spurs to get a serious run in the race? The two Mikes are here for you.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Sound the conch! The top six teams in England are nearly all in some state of disarray as January turns into February, so the two Mikes assess the damage and determine what's worth sweating and what's worth dismissing — for now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

This week Mike and Michael are joined by Wall Street Journal sportswriter Jonathan Clegg, co-author of the new book, The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports. It's a history of the business of the Premier League, how it was formed and negotiated, how it grew, the structural forces that shaped its growth. It's catnip for a Double Pivot conversation, and we had a lot of fun.You can follow Jonathan on twitter at @cleggjon and read more...

On this week's premium episode, available at patreon.com/doublepivot, we preview the second half of the season in the Bundesliga and Serie A. Lots of scouting the stats as we break down one title race and two top four races with a bunch of intriguing teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Harry Kane is out for a while, so are Spurs doomed? The two Mikes take a look at the stakes while Tottenham Hotspur's talisman is out. Plus, fullback apocalypse at City and Liverpool, and why it may not matter for two very different reasons. Finally, David Wagner's tenure at Huddersfield has come to a close. So, uh, was he actually good? Or sort of good? Or lucky? It's tricky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Over at patreon.com/doublepivot you can check out the rest of our team. Which strikers were left, which ball progressors and ball winners interest us? Who's popping the goalkeeper stats? Which of these players are in the team of the season because of what they do for their team, and who's there that could be a star in another team's system?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Most cup matches are irrelevant to the two Mikes. Nevertheless, they attempt to draw sweeping conclusions about the state of affairs with Spurs and Chelsea. Then it's on to Real Madrid, which might be pulling a Manchester United with a sudden fall from the top. Finally, you asked for it, and now you get it. They close out by picking the first few players of the season thus far — from non-top six Premier League clubs.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Over at patreon.com/doublepivot, the Mikes are trekking to the continent with regularity! A preview of the second half of the La Liga season is on the pod, plus a mailbag with subscriber questions about Marcus Rashford, Spurs transfers, substitute effects and players outside the Champions League that could help the top clubs. And we're also doing some 10-minute game previews for double premium subscribers, that one this week is for Sevilla - Atletico. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

What a game! The Mikes had an incredible amount of fun watching City play Liverpool with the title pretty much on the line, and they take you through the game, hitting on the big moments, the tactical shifts, and what this game means for the title race. Then it's over to the big transfer news and the American Christian Pulisic going to Chelsea for over £50m. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

On the premium side this holiday week, it's Premier League analytics talk. Really out of our comfort zone.Liverpool are, like, way ahead for the title. How did that happen? We take a look at this story from a few angles -- what does it mean about projections, about variance, about tactics and injuries? We can explain Liverpool getting better, but can we explain how City got worse? And we even talk about Spurs because they're there too. who'da thunk it. Check out patreon.com/doublepivot ...

Jose Mourinho's sacking feels like the end of a story. We try to tell it correctly. How did it all go wrong at United? What was new in his failures at United that wasn't present in previous managerial stints? What is "Mourinho ball" anyway, and what have we learned about it at United? Is it outdated? Is it dependent on a certain talent baseline? And finally, where will Jose go next?Plus a little Christmas Bible History Corner.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSuppo...

We talk about the questions of race and racism in sports media that Raheem Sterling has helped surface, about why it's necessary to think critically about race simply to do soccer analysis well, and then over to the weirdness of Chelsea - Man City and why are Chelsea so good at defending sometimes... and finally the relegation scrap. A lot in here! Caley got to talk about discourse.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

It's our North London Derby --- how bad did Spurs get wrecked --- wait are Arsenal good now --- is Unai Emery figuring it out --- make Caley sad episode but boom he's in Mexico and it's 80 degrees so who's the real loser here episode. Look for Goodman sadness on the Patreon side.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

There wasn't a second leg to the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Grande and River Plate. Neither of the Mikes is an expert on South American football so we called in a ringer, Brenda Elsey (@policultura), a professor of history at Hofstra and specialist on South American sport and politics, as well as one of the hosts of the Burn It All Down podcast. Brenda helped walk us through how the final came to be called off, the problems of violence in men's soccer, the forces seeking to corporat...

No, this isn't some great existential crisis debate. Expected goals have become such a huge part of the soccer-sphere that the two Mikes decided an international break was a good time to dive deeper into what we're trying to measure, the methods at work, how we got here, and where it's all headed. Prepare to nerd out, y'all.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Dortmund now stand seven points clear of Bayern after a 3-2 derby win, so is the Bundesliga race over? The two Mikes toss around all the theories on why it is not, and also try to understand what is and is not working for both clubs. Then, they turn their attention toward Manchester United, what the underlying numbers say about Jose Mourinho's squad, and why it may not get better.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

You've read and heard about the potential formation of a European super league, so what does it entail? Why is it being proposed? Is it good? Bad? If it were to happen, what's the best way for it to happen, and what would be lost in the process? The two Mikes tackle these questions and more – oh, and talk a little about Arsenal and Liverpool – over at Patreon this week.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

El Clasico is covered, Barcelona's tweaks in midfield, the future of superclub buying strength... but we're here for just one thing. Joel Wertheimer, Double Pivot's salacious gossip correspondent, joins us for a deep dive into the most important soccer news of the week, a blind gossip item on twitter about Real Madrid players that we could NOT avoid discussing.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

In which the Mikes rank the Champions League favorites. They both agree about City at the top, but they disagree--somewhat--about how it shakes out just below that. See what they think of Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool, Madrid, Dortmund, Atleti and Napoli by subscribing at patreon.com/doublepivot.Also a little preview of the Caley Bible Podcast at the end of this one.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

There are little stories developing with all of the top teams in Europe and how much they've improved or declined from last year, how much the team is playing up to their talent, how much the table is flattering them. We start with Arsenal and Spurs and then WHEW it's Liverpool and United and Chelsea and Napoli and Juve and Barca and Real and Sevilla and we got ourselves a podcast.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

In this edition of the mailbag: What are the Two Mikes best and worst sports stats hot takes? Would you give Eddie Howe a shot at managing a Top 6 club? Is Arsenal's talent roughly at the level that expected goals predicts, or are they underperforming their talent level? Why do we evaluate soccer managers based on whether they have players to suit their system, when we don't do that in a sport like, say, basketball? What are the current challenges in soccer analytics as a scientific disciplin...

Bayern is boring, Real Madrid can't score and Jadon Sancho's on fire, perhaps a bit at Christian Pulisic's expense. After a quick Liverpool vs. Manchester City recap, the two Mikes look at the problems facing some of the clubs we regularly expect in Champions League semifinals, and what it may take to keep them at that level come season's end. Over at Patreon, they look to England to examine Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs' woes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

It's a tough one. The Mikes are joined by Jessica Luther, who literally wrote the book on the topic of sports and sexual assault, to discuss Kathryn Mayorga's allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo. What do we know? How has this story been reported? And what are the responsibilities of clubs and leagues, fans and analysts, when survivors bring forward stories like this about figures in sports?Thread with a link to Mayorga's story as well as documents used by reporters from Der Spiegel: ht...

Over at patreon, we have a subscription episode with even more stats, a bunch of Chelsea discussion, and even we talk ourselves into watching the Bundesliga. It gets real.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Mike and Mike break out some of Caley's stats and a few Statsbomb numbers and pick out some surprising numbers, Who have been the Premier League's best passers? Who plays an unexpectedly key in their team's build up? Are they going to gush about James Milner again? Numbers on Kieran Trippier, James Maddison, Granit Xhaka, Marcos Alonso, Ruben Neves and more. (And by more we mean, James Milner.)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

In this week's premium episode, the two Mikes go deep on some big results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Do we know exactly what Arsenal is trying to do yet? Is it OK to declare the Chelsea is super good or should we hold off? The heck is Everton's deal? And what's up with the weird Bournemouth numbers? These questions are pondered by the two Mikes as the dive deeper into all of them and briefly touch on the West Hams and Newcastles of the world along the way.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

The two Mikes start a light jog into the return of club soccer after the international break, analyzing the most notable performances thus far in La Liga (Barcelona - good!, Atletico - not so good!), Serie A (it's more entertaining than you think!), and the Premier League, including a quick preview of Spurs vs. Liverpool off the top, and some Watford talk at the back. The Bundesliga will have to play more games before being broken down. Sorry, Bundesliga. Learn more about your ad choices...

Over at the patreon we take a tour of the Premier League week that was, including Watford staying perfect and Spurs not, United winning impressively and Arsenal... also winning, and how bad are things at Burnley and West Ham.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Spurs exited Old Trafford with a resounding 3-0 victory, but the match wasn't all it seemed in the final score. Still, things are looking bleak for United, and somewhat promising for Spurs. The two Mikes walk through every facet of a very confusing but altogether seismic match. Then, they review what City's draw with Wolves means for their title defense, and just how bad Burnley might actually be. In part 2 of today's episode over on the Double Pivot Patreon page, the two Mikes review Liverpo...

Is this Guendouzi kid for real? What is this new role for Kante going to mean going forward? How does Ashley Barnes work and why does he keep scoring goals? What are xPoints and are they worth investing any time or effort into learning more about? It's the first (and free) part of this week's two-part podcast mailbag! Catch Part Two on the Double Pivot Patreon page.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

An extremely real and cromulent cup final took place between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and we got a glimpse of things to come. The two Mikes break down what the glimpse may have revealed, why it may not matter when sizing up Barcelona, and the weird numbers behind the more intriguing squads in Spain. Plus, a quick look at what we learned from City's 2-0 win over Arsenal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Deadline day is upon us and we have to preview so much! The Mikes blow through seven teams in this preview episode, discussing why they like Brighton's business so much, why they still can't believe in Burnley (mostly) and then on to Chelsea, who might be really, really frickin good, and who will be fun even if they aren't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Over on the premium side we did the second part of our four-part Premier League preview in which we covered three different London sides including the Gunners. There's even an unexpected podcast debut at the close, it's a big one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

We begin the two-week, four-part Premier League preview. This week the Mikes kick off with whether Huddersfield are getting relegated (probably), then on to whether Southampton and Newcastle will be fine again (maybe not!), some mild disagreement over whether Everton are good and then, this week's big club is... Liverpool. We'll get through all 20 teams before the season starts.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

It's not quite season preview time, but there's not much going on, so how about a two-part mailbag?! In Part 1, the two Mikes address a Grealish-Spurs marriage, the tough spots Martial and Alderweireld are in, West Ham's transfer spree, Gonzalo Higuaín and Mario Mandzukic — and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

We had four games to talk about! The quarterfinals gave us an opportunity to talk about France's continuing good luck and amazing defense, how seriously we want to credit Roberto Martinez for his side's upset win over Brazil, and whether the football is coming home -- in this week's episode, brought to you by The Athletic Soccer. Double Pivot listeners users can go to theathletic.com/doublepivot to receive 40% off their first-year subscription. Check it out for even more great world soccer co...

France might have the best player in the tournament, but the most shackled squad. Uruguay might not be the worse version of Argentina that Goodman thought they'd be. Belgium...well...you can't say that wasn't a wild way to finish a match (just ignore the first 70 minutes where everything was very bad). Then there's Brazil, a team that somehow is getting nitpicked despite looking very, very good. How they got here – and where they go from here – in this week's episode, brought to you by The At...

Over at the subscription side, we took questions, previewed the round of 16, and solved the tiebreaker question once and for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Who exactly is coaching Argentina? What's Brazil's best XI? Is it really worth being annoyed at France's approach? Is there cause for concern with Spain? Is Germany doomed? These questions and more answered by the two Mikes in an episode brought to you by The Athletic Soccer. Double Pivot listeners users can go to theathletic.com/doublepivot to receive 40% off their first-year subscription. Check it out for even more great world soccer coverage.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

There has been so very much world cup. It has led to so very many takes. We go through our list of eight contenders to see who's up (England!) who's down (Germany!) and who's complicated (Brazil!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

If you've got questions about the World Cup in Russia, you've come to the right place. As you scramble to fill out your bracket or fantasy team before the first match kicks off, the two Mikes have all the analysis and speculation you'll need to become an expert in roughly two hours. Who will win the golden boot? Which team is a quarterfinals — or even semifinals — sleeper? How bad will the opening match be? These questions and more answered in a two-part preview, brought to you by The Athleti...

We had so much fun doing a fantasy draft with the guys from the Total Soccer Show, we did a whole show about it.https://theathletic.com/382939/2018/06/07/the-athletics-world-cup-absentees-rejects-reallocation-draft/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

We were gonna just tease the premium podcast and then we realized, there's so much world cup! Gotta pod!France, England, Belgium, Colombia. Let's go.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

When the news breaks, the Double Pivot is here for you, going deep into the stories that matter in your life.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

The two Mikes quickly revisit the two very boring cup finals before diving into the chaos that was Inter vs. Lazio. Then, they look at the managerial appointments at Arsenal, Dortmund, West Ham and PSG. Just not necessarily in that order.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

We talked to Ted Knutsen of Statsbomb and this was a premium episode of deep nerdiness. They have a new soccer data project, and we got into a bunch of questions about soccer analytics.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show