The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary

Manchester City appear to be moving in the June window, with transfers for Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait Nouri advancing, rumors around Tijjani Reijnders and Tino Livramento hanging around, and we look at a very strange season and what all of this might mean. 

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We're playing team of the season but with a twist. We each have to draft a separate, reasonably coherent XI of the players who were the best and the most productive in the Premier League in the last season. Did we pick your favorite players? Did we terribly disrespect your team? Check it out.

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It starts with the fullbacks. It appears very likely that with Trent leaving, Liverpool will sign both Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Both good players at good prices, but neither can replace the ball progression and midfield creativity of Alexander-Arnold. So what else will need to happen to make this team competitive at the highest level?

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Real Madrid are reportedly making two major changes, dropping Carlo Ancelotti for Xabi Alonso and bringing in Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold as a right sided defender and ludicrous passer. We discuss how all of this may, or may not, but probably will, but exactly how well will it work out?

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The second leg was somehow even better than the first. We talk the stats and tactics from an incredible match, what we've learned about Hansi Flick and Barcelona this season, sing the praises of Inter Milan and Inzaghi, and talk a bit about the future of Barcelona. 

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We take a mailbag question on the math of goal difference, projecting points from goals, and what it tells us about the game of soccer.

This one is for the nerds. 

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Four big teams, two big games, Arsenal vs PSG, Barcelona vs Inter, it's a soccer analytics podcast. 

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We are joined by Dan Davies, author of the fantastic new book The Unaccountability Machine, to talk about the book and the new ways of thinking about business and capitalism that he introduces, and then to discuss how this model of thinking can help explain why European football is the way it is.

The Unaccountability Machine: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/U/bo252799883.html

Dan Davies' newsletter, Back of Mind: https://backofmind.substack.com/

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We break down Arsenal's big win, Real Madrid's toothlessness, Inter's away result, and why we continue to see PSG and Barcelona as the best remaining teams in the tournament, probably the best teams in the entire world. And that brings us to Lamine Yamal, who is good.

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No football just literature and history.

A Drop of Corruption: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735559/a-drop-of-corruption-by-robert-jackson-bennett/

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