The Double Pivot: Soccer Analysis, Analytics, And Commentary

The subscribers asked a bunch of good questions so we answered them.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two Mikes are tired of narratives that our fickle fan emotions perpetuate, but that the numbers reject. So they take a measured look at the final stretch of the season for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, before turning their attention to Antonio Conte's team. If the frantic final chase to reach top four falls short for the Blues, is it about to get worse? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you like off-the-rails excitement, the Champions League is here for you, and so are the two Mikes. In this week's premium episode, they break down the second legs between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and Roma and Liverpool. They briefly break down the Europa semifinals to kick things off, but then get to the good stuff...before throwing out some early speculation on the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the season winding down, the Mikes think about all the takes they've had and left unsaid. But why leave them unsaid forever? Asier Illaramendi! RB Leipzig! What about those guaranteed Champions League places for the 4th place teams in the big four leagues? Plus some mourning of Napoli, a little Chelsea-Liverpool sprinkled on top, and zoos zoos zoos to finish it all off.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We not only had takes galore on Liverpool-Roma and Bayern-Real, we also had to get into the Arsenal-Atletico farce.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The magic of the F.A. Cup is all anyone in the world is talking about, so the two Mikes are joining in. They wax poetic on Southampton's demise, Mourinho's good and bad days, Spurs' frustration and Chelsea at their best. Then, they turn their attention to what has suddenly become a riveting race for the Coppa Campioni d'Italia.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the patreon ep, we talk about the FA Cup and get pretty pundity.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is no hope for West Brom, and probably no hope for Stoke City or Southampton. Yet, the Two Mikes chart the path that got these clubs to this point, the odd solutions they've employed to attempt to save themselves, and the slim possibility of escaping the drop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were three great matches and also Sevilla-Bayern, so we have a lot to talk about. This is just a teaser.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a step back and talk about the Manchester City and Barcelona seasons in context. Runaway title winners tomorrow, champions league quarterfinal losers today. Is that a bad season? What *is* a bad or good season, really? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is not the full double pivot double secret premium podcast episode about the Champions League, this is just a teaser.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode begins with a deep dive into Chelsea - Spurs, mourns the top four and title races that were not to be, and then takes a hard right turn into takery with some pointed questions about why the Bundesliga is bad and no one likes it.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want more Double Pivot? We have good news! After that news, the Two Mikes tell you how much to value xGChain and why it's hard to look to numbers for defensive midfielder evaluation. Plus, (sort of) defending Mourinho, busting a Pochettino myth, how to recruit backups for players who are in the XI every week — and more — including a debate about which MCU movie has been the best.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Cup is coming up and we are ramping up. Early previews of England, Brazil and Spain right in your international earholes. We are, again, foolishly England-curious and perhaps also foolishly Iniesta-dismissive.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One day, Manchester United's tactics look brilliant. The next, foolish. So, which is it? The two Mikes examine the differences between an impressive win over Liverpool and a listless Champions League exit at the hands of Sevilla, and whether the Special One's playbook won't work in the current era of world football. Plus, with just Manchester City and Liverpool left in the quarterfinals, is it fair to ask if it reflects poorly on the Premier League? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caley is not happy about the football but he's happy to have his primary, gremlin-free-usb laptop back. He and Goodman talk about Spurs not bottling it against Juventus and the weird, basic, extremely good tactics of Valverde's Barcelona. Can Chelsea beat them? The two hosts slightly disagree. Then a little love for Liverpool before it all ends.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PRODUCER'S NOTE: We apologize in advance for a few moments when Caley's audio goes south for a minute or two. It's a free-for-all in the bottom half of the Premier League table, but the two Mikes have some ideas about which clubs are in a lot more trouble than the rest. And they even see a few obvious problems that the clubs themselves aren't doing much to address correctly. Before they roll through all the teams under the threat of the drop, they quickly touch on the two big matches between top six clubs over the weekend, and finish with a spoiler-filled discussion about Black Panther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The home stretch to make the Top 4 in Germany is absolutely bonkers. How bonkers? There were literally hundreds of tennis balls raining from the sky in Frankfurt. Why isn't Dortmund better? Why has RB Leipzig fallen off? Is Eintracht Frankfurt actually this good? The two Mikes ponder these questions (and touch on Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen) before turning their attention to an entertaining clash at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus had Spurs on the ropes, and then it all fell apart. The two Mikes break down the first leg of the tie, look ahead to the second, and assess what's working and what's not for each club. Then, they look at the Top 4 race in the Premier League and sort out where it may go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fascinating clash at Anfield turned into a referendum on diving and offside rules, but the two Mikes talk about all of it, somehow. Then they turn their attention to whatever the heck is happening to Chelsea right now. No Crisis Conch necessary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices