Media, Arsenal and Analytics with James Benge
Mike Goodman is joined by CBS soccer correspondent James Benge (@jamesbenge) to talk about all things media, analytics and yeah a little bit of Arsenal. Support the show
Episodes
The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary
Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary with hosts Mike Goodman and Michael Caley
Episodes
Relegation
We got one really live race going but it's a good one. Leeds collapse, Forest bad, Everton bad, Leicester also in trouble, we talk through the teams at the bottom. Support the show
Spurs Collapse
Bad game by Spurs. We break down the set of bad decisions that brought them to this point. Support the show
Brighton and Villa
The 6th and 7th place teams in the Premier League have, otherwise, quite distinct profiles. We break it down. Support the show
Quick Hits
Lots of small takes on Premier League teams. Spurs, Everton, United, Leeds, Villa, Liverpool and on. Support the show
Potter Out
Chelsea sacked their manager. He didn't do a very good job! But is replacing the manager the thing that will set this project on the right path, and is continuing at full speed with this project the right thing for Chelsea? We remain skeptical. Support the show
Multi-Club Models
It's the hottest thing in owning soccer teams: owning lots of soccer teams. But why is it happening, what risks does it pose to the current state of football, and what do we expect to see in the near future? Support the show
PL Title and Top Four
At a certain level not all that much has changed but there's drama and we're here to cover it for you. Support the show
A Capital of Love: Soccer Finance with Skanda Amarnath
What's going on with non-state soccer owners trying to sell their teams? What's going on with the aggressive non-state money coming in to soccer? What, for real, is going on with Chelsea and Clearlake? We talk to Skanda Amarnath (@irvingswisher) about the baseline state of play in the sports business. Support the show
How is Sheikh Jassim so rich?
Manchester United are up for sale and the apparent favorite is a debt-free bid by a Qatari businessperson (and royal family member) Sheikh Jassim. We talk about what we expect from the Premier League, the hole they seem to be digging for themselves, and why the source of Jassim's wealth is such a crucial issue here. Support the show
Arsenal In Crisis?
No, not really. But a lot of interesting questions about exactly how to understand their recent slump, what to expect from this team over the rest of the season, and the kind of fascinating tactical periodization of the City match. Support the show
Man City Is In Trouble
We all knew Manchester City have been cheating on their financial disclosures. But the news this week is that they might face actual consequences for those acts, which no one saw coming. So exactly what's going on, why is it happening, and what might it lead to? Support the show
Does Chelsea Have a Plan?
Yes, Chelsea has a plan! But is it a good plan? We are very skeptical. Support the show
Frauds at Juventus
Multiple frauds! Very poorly executed! We walk through the scandal unfolding in Italy, why it happened, what it means, and some light critiques of their fraud processes. Support the show
Top Four and Relegation: Part I
A walk through the entire table besides the top two. Starting with top four, Newcastle and United have run hot long enough to look very good, Spurs and... Brighton are their top competition? It could get settled pretty quick. Support the show
Arsenal and Manchester City
There's a title race! And if there isn't a title race it's because Arsenal are going to go and win it. Wild stuff, no one predicted it, we talk about how we got here and what to expect from the top of the table in the second half. Support the show
Enzo, Cody, Mykhaylo and Miggy (Teaser)
With the transfer window open and big money ready to move, we have been recording player profiles for subscribers, and this is a little teaser of what that's covered. You can subscribe at patreon.com/doublepivot Our Premier League back to speed podcasts coming later this week. Support the show
Messi and Argentina Champions
Argentina won the World Cup! And the match, while it developed into a pure vibes Rocky-style haymaker fest at the end, was actually a really interesting tactical battle before that with Argentina coming out very much on top. We have a lot to dig into! Support the show
Argentina, Brazil, Croatia and the Discourse on "Errors"
The first half of our quarterfinals review, semifinals preview podcast. Brazil were great and football occurred, Croatia executed their strategy and got lucky, Argentina remain a big step more boring than you'd hope and that's a pretty good semifinals preview right there. Support the show
Recapping the Round of 16, Previewing the Quarters: Part 1
We've got the Netherlands, Argentina, Croatia and Brazil through to the quarters. How they did it, how Brazil got so good with a broken team, what might be some ways for Van Gaal to approach Argentina, were we unfair to Scaloni, a lot going on here. (Part 2 at patreon.com/doublepivot) Support the show
USA - Iran
The USMNT won and go through to the knockouts. It was another good game in a good tournament for the USA and so we figured we'd talk about it. Support the show
USA - England
A scoreless draw, but one that said a number of interesting things about both teams. We talk about the many things the US did well and how this... doesn't change our evaluation of England at all. Support the show
On The Upsets
Argentina lost! To Saudi Arabia! And Germany lost to Japan! Both upsets involved a whole bunch of stuff that an expected goals approach would ask you to doubt. So what did they really mean? Support the show
What Was Gianni Infantino Doing? (and how does it relate to the Arab Spring proxy wars?)
The risk-taking and aggression of Qatar has been on surprising display in the last week from the beer ban to Infantino's press conference performance. We attempt an explanation by way of regional and ideological conflict in the Gulf, the different positions of oil and gas in the energy transition, and, of course, the Muslim Brotherhood. Support the show
England and Spain
Mike thinks England are going to win the World Cup. Michael thinks Alvaro Morata could score lots of goals. We're coming in hot. Support the show
Liverpool for Sale
It's been reported that FSG are looking to sell Liverpool. We take a look at what this means: why would FSG sell now, and what does that tell us about the state of elite European football? Support the show
On Pressing
Is it secretly another Leeds episode? Well sort of. What does pressing look like in contemporary football, how are Leeds a throwback and what exactly are Newcastle doing that is just so good? Support the show
Leeds and Marsch
Leeds are in the relegation places and on a four-match losing streak. Their underlying numbers are still more or less fine. What comes next? Support the show
Checking in on Spurs, United, and Chelsea
United beat Spurs soundly. What's going on at both United and Spurs that this was not exactly a shocking result? And [pokes Chelsea with a stick] Support the show
Arsenal and Liverpool
Our priors, updating in real time. Arsenal were really good, Liverpool were pretty bad, how far are we willing to go in adjusting our evaluations of these two clubs after another game in line with their performances over the full season? Support the show