The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary

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 shoul...

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...

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. Le...

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. Edit...

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 cause...

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/adchoices Support 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: @Priya8Rame...

The two Mikes review some of their worst assessments over the course of the 2016-17 season. Topics include: David Moyes, Claudio Bravo, Chelsea, Barcelona, Spurs, Daniel Sturridge, Manchester United, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcus Rashford. The surprise twist: Sometimes when they're wrong, they're not wrong at all (or something like that). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

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&apos...

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 y...

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...

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 every...

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 c...

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 defens...

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?...

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 sponta...

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. L...

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/adchoices Support 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 deserve...

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...

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 ti...

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, th...

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.&quo...

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 the...

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/...