The Double Pivot

The two Mikes interrupt this transfer window discussion with the Arsenal Crisis Conch (patent pending), and use it as a springboard into more transfer talk, not just about the Gunners, but also many of their Top 6 counterparts. There's also some Dortmund and PSG chatter that gets mixed in, thanks to the players involved in some of the bigger transfers this window. Plus, one Mike uses the opportunity to talk about pundits saying players "lack end product," and how it never means what they thin...

Last week a conch was blown. This conch, unbeknownst to us, was endowed with the power to make Arsenal win a blowout and reach a cup final. So we return to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham to ask what we got wrong and what we want to retract from last week. Plus Coutinho, Alexis, Mkhitaryan and more transfer talk.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Chelsea are still in a comfortable spot in the Premier League table, but also don't look quite right (and might be buying Andy Carroll? What?). Arsenal are definitely in a more complicated predicament, despite being a very good team. And who the heck knows how to correctly explain what's happening with Real Madrid? The two Mikes try!This episode is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters and vegetarians get lower rat...

As if mega blockbuster transfers in January weren't enough, now we've got a "mystery player" in the mix. Or something. The two Mikes break down the big moves you already know about, the one that's probably next, and answer your questions about the window with varying degrees of incredulity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

"Choosing a new club to support at some point in life is not only very OK but also sometimes a more organic & admirable form of connection." Zack Goldman's tweet launched a fierce debate, and the two Mikes want to weigh in. Then, in the non-soccer portion of the show, they break down their takeaways from the new Star Wars. SPOILER ALERT: There will be spoilers.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Manchester United were supposed to challenge City in a race for the title this season, but it hasn't played out that way. The two Mikes attempt to figure out why, whether Mourinho has lost some of his touch, and if there's any validity to his reasons for the club's struggles. Meanwhile, rival Liverpool just splashed a whole lot of cash on a center back, and there are no shortage of angles to examine.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

PSG brought in Neymar and Mbappe for matches against Real Madrid, they just thought it would be a few rounds later. Is Manchester United now the English team in crisis? And the two Mikes break down who they're most concerned about in the relegation zone.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

We now know the final 16 teams in the Champions League, but are we any closer to understanding who has the best chance to win it? Sitting at Caley's kitchen table, the two Mikes try to sort through what we've learned from group play. Plus, the results of the Champions League mean the Europa League may actually be pretty exciting this year, so they briefly mention that before closing the majority of the show out with some thoughts on the race between the two Manchester clubs.Learn more about y...

Yet again, there are a lot of confused people on the interwebs who can't quite wrap their heads around expected goals. The two Mikes are here to help, and Burnley is the focal point. They tackle topics like how xG and tactics inform each other and what exactly is in that Burnley black magic. Then, they attempt to sort through the logic behind recent managerial appointments in the Premier League. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

International breaks and the second half of Champions League group play are a drag, so the two Mikes turn their attention elsewhere. They review Arsenal's victory over rival Spurs, what it means for both teams going forward and where they fit in the league pecking order. Then, they talk about just how good Manchester City are, how Pep Guardiola's squad currently works, and how remarkable the tactics are in execution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport t...

The two Mikes are on an international break quest to determine who the true 7th-best team in the Premier League might be. The table says it's Burnley, Everton fans believe it is theirs indefinitely, and Southampton is awfully good at being the most annoying candidate of the bunch. Plus, some recalibration after key Bundesliga clashes force our fearless leaders to examine their previous assessments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

It turns out the two Mikes were wrong about Spurs, but in a surprising way. They discuss how Mauricio Pochettino's club continues to improve in the face of tough expectations before turning their attention north to Liverpool and Everton. Namely, they take a closer look at what's wrong with Jurgen Klopp's Reds than they have before, and walk through all the contradictions and weird decisions that led Everton to sack Ronald Koeman. And who would be Goodman's first choice as his replacement? Gig...

Some key pieces will be missing for both sides at Anfield, so what should we expect? The two Mikes go through the options available to each manager, what the true strengths and weaknesses of each side really are, and why Liverpool's been such a problem for Spurs where other teams have not. Plus, they briefly touch on United, City and especially Chelsea, since Conte’s group is having some issues.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

There are bigger problems in the world, but two very depressed Mikes reflect on the utter calamity that crashed with a hollow thud in Trinidad and Tobago and cannot be ignored. What's the USMNT doing wrong? What could it be doing right? Is there a manager out there who makes more sense than others? Will the USSF go that direction, or do something disappointingly predictable? How do you organize the narratives floating around this mess? And if you're tired of thinking about it, they cleanse th...

Will Morata's absence destroy the way Chelsea want to play? Will Manchester United be OK without Pogba? Will Liverpool be OK without a defense? The two Mikes take a look at the Top 6, some teams a little more closely than others, and try to sort out how important the next few months will be and whether absences will alter the razor thin margins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Juventus made some big changes over the summer, and the team that came out the other end looks different than the one we saw in the Champions League final. Meanwhile, Madridistas are panicking, and Arsenal is either a trash fire or just fine, depending on who you talk to. The two Mikes hash it all out with Copa90's Aaron West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

After a much better podcast with a much better guest host (Aaron West) was eaten by gremlins, Caley does his best to fly solo without Goodman on topics like Everton, the title race, Spurs and Chelsea, before bringing in Producer Max to talk about Liverpool's sky-is-falling narrative after a draw with Burnley and a loss to Leicester City. How much does he Carabao those results? (Sorry, we're sorry, we're trying to delete it.)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport...

The two Mikes talk about Crystal Palace firing their manager, don't talk about Sadio Mane's red card, go deep on Tottenham's Champions League tactical shift, and revel in Barcelona's strong start to the season. Plus the return of Bible History Corner. It's like it never left. Because it didn't.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

If you think you've got theories on what's happened to Arsenal, just wait until you hear what former Vice Sports (R.I.P.) writer Aaron Gordon's been simmering about. While he melts down over the direction of his rudderless club, the two Mikes play nice and attempt to point out a few silver linings. Then it's on to a very not nice set of topics: the corruption of FIFA and the ignored possibilities for rampant doping in the sport. Also, the USMNT comes up, but as with their performance in Hondu...

When PSG triggered Neymar's enormous release clause, the transfer market exploded and prices shot through the roof. The two Mikes try to make sense of what's happened, what might still happen, and explore the market's effect on the teams trying to make moves in the final hours of the transfer window. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

As a Spurs fan, Caley can't stand idly by while his team considers bringing in a player with a questionable past. He and Goodman talk through the issue before turning their attention to Manchester City vs. Everton and Chelsea vs. Spurs, two matches that contained far less sense than they should have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

The two clubs from Manchester are clearly going to battle it out for the Premier League's greatest prize, while every other team is a roaring trash fire. We might as well end the season now. The two Mikes discuss whether last week's results fell in line with their expectations for the clubs involved before turning their attention to the rest of Europe, and specifically whether anyone will challenge Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus or Bayern Munich for domestic titles. Learn more about your ad ...

Ever wonder which players the analytics guys will ride or die for? You're about to find out. The two Mikes pick their own side of analytics wizards to keep an eye on this season, including players like Kelechi Iheanacho, Ryan Sessegnon and...Dwight Gayle???? Yeah, it's quite a mix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Based on last year's order of finish, the two Mikes speculate whether each club in this year's Barclay's Premier League will finish higher or lower than they did last May. While they don't agree on every pick, they do agree that it will be very surprising if one specific team doesn't win the title. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

There's some stupid money being thrown around, and the two Mikes can't even get a cut. PSG is prepared to pay a massive amount of money for Neymar, which certainly presents the question of whether he's worth it. Furthermore, would anything short of a Champions League title constitute a failure if the French giants get their man? As a chaser, the guys take a quick look at what's left for England's best teams to accomplish in the final month of the transfer window.Learn more about your ad choic...

The summer doldrums get a shot of excitement with yet another mailbag. The two Mikes answer your many questions, including: The USMNT is much more tolerable to watch under Arena than Klinsmann...true?Thoughts on Coutinho as a midfielder vs. left forward? How do you feel about Firmino as a striker vs. top rated strikers?Why is Olivier Giroud so underrated?Is Eric Dier going or staying, and should Spurs really hold on to him if United is offering this much? Who are y’all cheering for ...

In this episode of the Double Pivot, your excellent questions are answered yet again, including:What does Ross Barkley do, and how would he look in a Pochettino side?Sell Alexis now, or let him leave for free next year?Is Romelu Lukaku a good fit for “slow-playing” Manchester United?How seriously should we take AC Milan? Would rather your club signed Defoe or Rooney to a four-year contract?Is it better to have loved and lost (Liverpool) or to never have loved at all (Spurs)? Subtitle: Why are...

How good are all of the xG models out there? One year after his initial evaluation of various submitted models, Nils Mackay (mackayanalytics.nl) released the results of a second round of models, including one built by a host of this here podcast. The two Mikes explore Mackay's findings, tackling topics like big chances, scorer bias in Opta data (or any data for that matter), and much more.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

The two Mikes are joined by Shireen Ahmed of the Burn It All Down podcast to discuss the early success of the podcast, which examines the intersection of feminism and sports, plus a few interesting social topics floating in and around and through the beautiful game. To set the table, the guys do a quick review of the 1-1 draw that's left the U.S. in a solid World Cup qualifying position. Editor's note: The amount of Ronaldo's reported settlement is incorrectly noted in this discussion. It was...

When it comes to the U.S. Men's National Team, everything should probably now be built around Christian Pulisic, but that creates a few hurdles. The two Mikes talk about those hurdles, the current SPI probabilities, and then turn their attention to the mailbag. In it, they find questions about Liverpool's apparent failure to land Virgil van Dijk from Southampton and the meltdown it caused amongst the LFC faithful, whether statistical insights at one level of soccer (Premier League) apply to o...

Now that we've got your attention, let's talk about every magic moment from Saturday night in Cardiff. From diabolical deflections, to the mystical Manzukic, to that roustabout Ramos — and we haven't even gotten to Ronaldo's frosted tips! — the match had a little bit of something for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Priya Ramesh writes about Dutch football for Benefoot, StatsBomb, FourFourTwo, The Guardian, Bleacher Report, and more. So who better to interview on the eve of the Europa League final? The conversation leaves no stone unturned, from Ajax's young stars to Jose Mourinho's use of the dark side of the force (it'll make sense when you hear it). You can find Priya on Twitter: @Priya8Ramesh.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Buckle up, because we're covering a lot of ground in this week's episode. In chronological order, here are all the questions the gents were able to get to: – What is Everton's best case scenario if they sell Lukaku and Barkley this summer?– What stops first, and when: Spurs 'competing with the top 4', or Spurs spending around half as much on wages as them?– Does Klopp's style of play have the capacity, with an improved squad, to consistently defeat low block counter-attack Premier League...

The two Mikes discuss Higuain shaking off the "choker" label, Juventus holding off another great attacking side, and Atletico coming up empty at the hands of their rivals. Then, it's time for a long talk about what went wrong with Arsenal this year, what changes could mean (and whether they seem likely), and what the future holds for the club if it finishes sixth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport the show

Is it more of a Mourinho match if his team sets out to get a 0-0 result, or if it shouldn't set out to get a 0-0 result and still gets a 0-0 result? The two Mikes ponder this important question, then attempt to figure out what Real Madrid was doing in the waning moments of the most pivotal match of the season. Then, it's on to your questions, like... Do midfielders need to play with more grit or is it a trait from a bygone era that's no longer relevant? Coutinho or Eriksen? Who's your favorit...

The Champions League is down to four teams, and the two Mikes posit whether Monaco's dream run can end with them lifting the cup. The F.A. Cup is also down to four clubs, and despite a bevy of jokes throughout the current season, the guys are actually going to talk about these two matches, and the implications surrounding the teams playing in them. Mostly Arsenal, but a little bit about everyone else, too. Due to a technical malfunction, Caley's audio is off a bit this week, so apologies in a...

We're down to the finest of margins in the Champions League, and it shows. The two Mikes talk about whether one goal will be enough to see Atletico through or if Leicester can get lucky, whether Barcelona can mount another comeback or if it's time to talk about Juve as a favorite, and whether a Javi Martinez red card will define a season for one or two of the world's biggest super clubs. Plus, reaction to Dortmund having to play after the attack on their team bus, a potential shift in the CL ...

Chelsea's 2-1 defeat of City shouldn't worry City fans because they're locks for the top 4, right? The two Mikes explain that while Chelsea and Spurs are all but locks to finish first and second, what happens to the four teams fighting for two spots behind them is anyone's guess. The numbers say Manchester United are much better than their position, Arsenal is much worse defensively this year, Liverpool is on the brink of a worrying trend, and if City were as good as everyone assumes, they wo...

To make up for last week's absence, it's an episode built entirely around your questions. Questions/topics include: Is it possible/efficient/useful for an international team to use a system that players aren’t familiar with at the club level? (3:50) Who is better now, and who has a higher ceiling, Christian Pulisic or Dele Alli? (17:00) What's up with the Netherlands and Argentina? (25:15) Is Arsenal's dependence on Cazorla more about him being great or Arsenal having a flawed midfield set up...

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 Ital...

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...

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/adchoicesSu...

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. Vis...

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'...

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 ...

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

We're not completely sure what happened, but we're here to talk about what did happen when Samir Nasri's Twitter account started fighting with itself. Then, the two Mikes debate whether Bob Bradley was truly given a fair shake at Swansea before handing out midseason awards. But these aren't your garden variety awards, with gems like "Player Most Likely to be Accused of Having a 'Crisis of Confidence' in the Second Half of the Season" award.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...