Hand Of Pod

This week, Sam is joined by English Dan, Tony and Andrés to look forward to Sunday evening's Copa Diego Armando Maradona final between Boca Juniors and Banfield (and at how they got there) and to review Boca's and River Plate's eliminations from the Copa Libertadores.

Happy new year! In this week's HOP Sam is joined by English Dan and Santi for a quick roundup of the most relevant action in the Copa Diego Maradona over the Christmas and new year period (including a very entertaining 2-2 draw between Boca Juniors and River Plate), and a look back on the first legs of the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, which saw River get humped by Palmeiras and Boca involved in...

This week's HOP is our last episode of 2020, but Argentine football isn't quite done yet – unusually, matches continue throughout the summer in the Copa Diego Armando Maradona, Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores. Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés look back on the action since we last recorded and set the scene for what's to come. We'll be back in the new year to update you on what's transpir...

Alejandro Sabella, who managed Argentina to the final of the 2014 World Cup, died on Tuesday. In this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, Santi, Tony, English Dan and Andrés begin by looking back on his life in football, before reviewing the action over the last week in the various Copas – Diego Maradona, Libertadores and Sudamericana – that Argentine sides are involved in at present.

After the emotion of last week, this week Sam, Tony, Santi and Andrés return to Earth with a look at what's gone on in the Copa Diego Armando Maradona, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and women's top flight since we last recorded.

If you're listening to this podcast in the week it comes out, you know what it's about. On Wednesday 25th November 2020, Diego Maradona died. In this week's HOP Sam, English Dan, Santi, Tony, Andrés and Seba put aside talk about recent matches for an extended talk about the life, career and impact of a player who captured the popular imagination like few – if any – others both at home and around t...

In this week's HOP, Sam, English Dan, Santi, Andrés and (for the first few minutes, before he gets cut off) Tony look back on a World Cup qualifying double header which again saw Argentina look a bit iffy at home but impress away, before reviewing the latest round of Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol action.

At the end of this week, HOP turns ten years old, and we're celebrating with a bumper episode. Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi review the recent action from the Copa Sudamericana and Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol, consider the thorny issue of how clubs should deal with players awaiting trial in a country with a legal system which moves as slowly as Argentina's and bid farewell to...

It's been a long, long lockdown here in Buenos Aires, but last weekend Argentine domestic football finally returned, and in this week's episode Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi look back on the first weekend of the Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol, a mini-tournament for the top flight clubs which will keep us entertained (after a fashion) for the next couple of months. We also discuss...

No recording last week means Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi have two weeks of action to catch up on in this week's HOP. We look back on Argentina's first two matches in the men's World Cup qualifiers and also review the last round of Copa Libertadores group action and the draw for the knockout stage, as well as looking at the Copa Sudamericana draw. And there's a bit of news about the up...

The 2022 World Cup qualifiers are finally upon us, and in this week's HOP Sam, English Dan, Andrés, Tony and Peter preview Argentina's opening double header at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia. Prior to doing that, we look back on last week's Copa Libertadores games.

This week on Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi look back on the first two post-lockdown rounds of Copa Libertadores matches, which went better than expected for Argentine clubs. We also run the rule over Lionel Scaloni's Argentina squad announcement, and give you the latest news on the likelihood of domestic football returning to Argentina this year. No idea what's going on wit...

This time on Hand Of Pod, Sam is joined by English Dan, Tony and Santi to discuss how preparations are going for the return of the Copa Libertadores next week – in particular at Boca Juniors, whose plans have been somewhat hamstrung by almost the entire first team and a bunch of coaches testing positive for COVID-19. Will Argentine clubs be at a disadvantage due to not having played football in si...

In this week's HOP, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Santi discuss CONMEBOL's recent strongarming of the AFA – and, perhaps, the Argentine government – into opening football in Argentina before they wanted to, with the rather sudden announcement that the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana will be kicking off again later in the year.

HOP is back! This week, Sam, Tony and English Dan give you an update on the discussions that have been had in Argentine football – and what's happened quarantine-wise in Argentina as a whole – in the two months and a bit since we last recorded. We also answer a couple of listeners' questions. The plan now is to record about once every two weeks until football returns, but we're not really any the...

This week's Hand Of Pod will be the last episode we'll record in March. That was already going to be the case when Sam, English Dan, Andrés, Julian and Tony met to record, because the government announced on Monday that football across the country was suspended for the rest of the month. It's now well and truly the case, though, because on Thursday evening President Alberto Fernández announced a n...

In this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, Andrés and Tony look back on the drama of Boca Juniors' title win, as the Xeneize pipped River Plate on the last day to win their third Argentine championship in four seasons. We also looked at the other drama from the weekend just gone ... which was almost none, because continental spots and relegation won't be decided until the end of the Copa Superliga group sta...

In this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Santi look back on a weekend which saw Santi very frustrated by Independiente (again), and which saw Boca Juniors win and River Plate draw, meaning River enter the final weekend of Superliga action just a point clear at the top. Will Boca get the combination of a win and a bad result for River they need to claim the title? We'll find out on...

On this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Andrés, Tony and Santi look at a weekend of action which saw the title race officially whittled down to the country's two biggest clubs, with River Plate still enjoying a three-point advantage over Boca Juniors with two matches remaining. Boca visit relegation strugglers Colón on Friday night, while River host Defensa y Justicia on Saturday.

In this week's Hand Of Pod, sponsored by albicelestes.com, Sam, English Dan, Tony and Andrés are joined by a new panel member, Santi, to discuss a weekend which saw both of the frontrunners for the title win their matches, meaning that River Plate's lead ahead of Boca Juniors at the top of the table remains at three points, now with just three matches to go. We discuss last weekend's matches, the...

In this week's HOP, Sam, Tony and Andrés discuss a weekend which saw a dramatic clásico de Avellaneda, and witnessed the title race, so tight just a couple of weeks ago, begin to open up as the main contenders enter the home straight. Below those top spots, though, the race for the remaining Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana qualification places is still ridiculously tight. We've also got a...

On this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Tony look back on a weekend of action which saw River Plate maintain their three-point lead at the top of the table, while Boca Juniors took advantage of Argentinos Juniors' slip-up to go second. The Primera Femenina restarts this coming weekend so we give you an update on that, and there's lots more besides.

This week's Hand Of Pod sees Sam, Andrés, English Dan and Julian review the seventeenth round of Superliga action, which was the first of the new year. Julian runs the rule over Boca Juniors' summer, Andrés enjoyed a nervy but satisfying win for River in Mendoza (just for a change) and there was frustration for Dan's Racing under new boss Sebastián Beccacece.

In the first Hand Of Pod of 2020, Sam, English Dan, Tony and Andrés preview this weekend's return to Superliga action as the summer break comes to a close. Why are River Plate unhappy with kit suppliers adidas? Will Daniele De Rossi ever truly retire? How much longer will the Superliga be around for? All these questions and more are considered this week.

In the final episode of 2019, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Tony look back on the last few games of the year, which tidied up a couple of the Superliga matches postponed from earlier rounds, and decided a couple of trophies of varying importance.