We attend every Real Madrid game as press, and release an episode near-daily. Tactics, analytics, formations, transfers, history, Castilla, Femenino. Join the largest Real Madrid podcast on the planet.
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarrete discuss:
Is there over-reliance on Karim Benzema in attack?
Sergio Ramos's offensive runs
The differences between ZizouBall 1.0 and ZizouBall 2.0
What teams would suit Gareth Bale?
The differences between superstars from Raul and Zidane's era to the ones of current, modern day football.
Our favourite free-kick takers in Real Madrid history
And more
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36 min
852
Real Sociedad Post-game
This episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast was hosted at The Irish Rover in Madrid, where five Managing Madrid members were on site, alongside various other journalists and listeners from around the world.
Kiyan Sobhani, Euan McTear, and Eduardo Alvarez discuss Gareth Bale's reception on Saturday night; the tactical wrinkles against a very good Real Sociedad team; Martin Odegaard's performance; Thibaut Courtois's form of late; the turning point of the match, and more. Then Sam Sharpe and Kristofer McCormack come on stage to discuss the developments in the youth system, and help answer questions from fans on Juanito, Michel, Isco, Reguilon, Lucas Vazquez, winter transfers, and more.
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77 min
853
Bale
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarrete discuss:
A long Gareth Bale debate, where Kiyan and Lucas have some conflicting thoughts on the situation
Double standards with Bale and some other players
Would Karim Benzema start at Liverpool at Manchester City?
Most important (ever): game, win, loss, goal
The importance of the 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960
Mauricio Pochettino / Jose Mourinho / Zinedine Zidane discussion
More Bale discussion
How would Real Madrid do against Liverpool this season?
Our Real Madrid all-time five-a-side team
What happens to Vinicius Jr?
And more
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72 min
854
An Honest Assessment of Raul
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Sam Sharpe discuss:
Castilla's results compared to their progress on the pitch
How has Raul done so far?
His influence on the players
Have Castilla regressed since last season?
Rodrygo and Vinicius's Castilla performances
Luismi Quezada got martyred for Sergio Reguilon
Javi Hernandez's development
Franchu's ceiling
Baeza's season
What happened to Cristo?
Raul's kids
Luca Zidane's development
Andriy Lunin
And more
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36 min
855
Eibar Post-game; Karim Benzema Legacy
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani, Om Arvind, and Gabe Lezra discuss:
This performance vs Eibar vs the trip to Ipurua last season under Santiago Solari
Eden Hazard's performance and partnership with Karim Benzema
Benzema's performance
The starting line-up
Benzema's rank among all time Real Madrid strikers
How real is this run? Plugging in the context of the schedule / strength of opponents
Thibaut Courtois's clean sheet run
Analyzing the underlying team stats
Revisiting our roundtable predictions from the beginning of the season
Fede Valverde's performance
The defensive mistakes
What does the team need to improve on?
And more
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68 min
856
Emergency Achraf Hakimi Discussion
An impromptu emergency podcast from Kiyan Sobhani and Matt Wiltse to discuss Achraf Hakimi putting his team on his back as Borussia Dortmund keep their European season alive thanks to a second-half masterclass against Inter Milan.
Achraf's brace saw him score his third and fourth goals in four Champions League games.
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14 min
857
Real Betis Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Om Arvind discuss:
The overall take-aways from this game
Real Betis's performance
Real Madrid's press
The way Rubi had Betis's build-up structured
Luka Modric showing signs of physical decline
Rodrygo Goes and Eden Hazard's performance on the wings
How Vinicius Jr change the game
The difference between him and Rodrygo
The xG spike after his entrance
Does he feel the pressure being compared to Rodrygo?
Ferland Mendy's ball-carrying ability and overall performance
Casemiro's performance
Zinedine Zidane's subs
Marcelo's defense throughout his career
Why Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, and Pepe have had the toughest defensive assignments among elite defenders in football
Zidane's talent evaluation
And more.
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77 min
858
Mailbag: Casemiro Load Management
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarette discuss:
NBA drama!
What to take away from the Leganes game
The Jese Rodriguez 'what if'
How to get Castilla back to Segunda
Is Martin Odegaard the best Real Madrid loanee ever?
Eden Hazard's performance against Leganes
When will Casemiro gets some rest?
The penalty re-take that Soriano had to deal with
Did Zinedine Zidane truly build this team?
And more.
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43 min
859
Mailbag with Kiyan and Lucas
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarette discuss:
Which players are the standouts this season?
And the disappointments?
What can be changed to make this season better?
Giannis vs Mbappe 2021
What can we take away from Jovic's cameos so far?
Challenging Kiyan's view that 'we've had much darker years in the past'
Discussion on 'target players'
The developments of Rodrygo and Vinicius
Process vs results
And more
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43 min
860
Mallorca Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Om Arvind discuss:
Putting in multiple attackers don't equate to offensive production
Not taking Mallorca seriously enough
The midfield selection, and overall depth
Systemic issues far more concerning than individual performances
Good individual moments but a lack of attacking cohesion
Casemiro's performance
Vinicius's performance
Courtois's style of play
Alvaro Odriozola's performance + future
Paul Pogba / Eriksen (stemming from questions on the pod)
Marcos Llorente's decision to leave
The political situation in Cataluña
And a lot more
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84 min
861
Mike Goodman and the future of football analyti...
This episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast is in two parts.
Part one (Kiyan Sobhani, Mike Goodman)
What is the StatsBomb conference?
What is the 'right pass' in football from any given part of the pitch
Statistically, the best way to score a goal
Defensive setups -- how to break down low blocks
New metric: 'expected threat'
The eye-test / stats debate, and Kevin Durant logging on to Twitter to talk about 'feel'
Valuing the art of pressing
Where does Real Madrid rank among the best pressing teams?
Fatigue and its correlation with press
And more
Part two (Kiyan Sobhani, Lucas Navarette)
Clasico updates
From a footballing perspective, is it better for Real Madrid to play this game in October or December?
How worried should we be about Eden Hazard
Dani Ceballos's development
The "Ronaldo effect" and how to replace it
What's the starting XI if everyone is healthy and available (including the loanees)
Decisions decisions -- so many this summer
Where does Zidane see James and Isco if everyone is healthy?
Chances of winning the league
Jovic and Mariano playing time
Links with these midfielders: Fabian Ruiz, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek
Should we be looking at these names or promoting from within
What is Martin Odegaard's best role? Kiyan spoke with one of Odegaard's coaches about this
And more
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102 min
862
James and Isco Together
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Om Arvind discuss:
- Real Madrid's 3 - 1 win over Barcelona in the 2014 - 2015 season
- How the 4-4-2 functioned that day
- Neymar's opening goal
- How Carlo Ancelotti had the team positioned in attack and defence, and his half-time adjustments
- The margin of error: Messi's crazy miss changed the outcome of the game completely
- Carlo's subs
- Carvajal and Marcelo at the top of their game
- Fede Valverde's sudden emergence after a disappointing loan spell at Deportivo la Coruña
- Individual mistakes, this season and in years' past
- Luka Jovic's playing time, and Karim Benzema's minutes
- How much should we push for Paul Pogba?
- And more.
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53 min
863
Granada Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Om Arvind discuss:
- Dani Carvajal as left back
- The roles of the wing-backs
- Gareth Bale's unreal OOTB pass
- Granada knocked off their game after the early goal
- Finally getting diverse scoring output outside of Benzema
- Eden Hazard's performance
- What James brings to the team offensively
- Fede Valverde's performance
- What's Fede's best role?
- Should Bale have had a penalty?
- Real Madrid's build-up
- Isco's return
- And more
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46 min
864
Thursday Real Madrid Mailbag
This episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast is in two parts:
Part One (Kiyan Sobhani, Lucas Navarrette):
- Home pressure
- How the Bernabeu reacts to what it sees on the pitch
- Why Zinedine Zidane 'persists' with Lucas Vazquez
- Luka Jovic minutes
- The importance of that point against Brugge
- Eden Hazard's slow start
- Revisiting Clarence Seedorf as a Real Madrid player
- And more
Part Two (Kiyan Sobhani, Philip Hammer):
- How we're feeling after a rollercoaster of a month
- How Philip became Madridista
- The summer of 2000
- Best memory from the past 20 years
- The 2011 Clasico brawl
- Is the Ramos Decima header the single greatest moment in club history?
- And more.
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58 min
865
Las Galácticas: Episode 2
It has been a few weeks since our first FC Tacón show, and things have started off in a complicated way. With a tough loss to FC Barcelona, the team looked lost. But with a comeback win, and with some new signings, things are not lost. So where do we go from here? Jess Houwen and Gabe Lezra are here to break down parts of the big storylines from Tacón's inaugural primera season--and why things might not be as bleak as the seam.
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44 min
866
Atleti Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Ben Hayward discuss:
- The 'boring' derby which wasn't boring at all if you take a look at all the storylines
- Real Madrid's defense
- The lack of chances for both sides
- Zidane and Simeone's post-game quotes
- Should Hazard be in better shape?
- Toni Kroos's performance
- Fede Valverde starting over James
- The perhaps surprising xG numbers
- And more
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20 min
867
Sevilla Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Matt Wiltse discuss:
- The Sergio Ramos effect
- Why did this midfield perform better than against PSG?
- What the team did well defensively
- The team's pressing
- Eden Hazard's performance
- Zinedine Zidane's tactics
- What we can and can't criticize zidane for
- His big game performances
- Casemiro's performance
- Ferland Mendy's performance
- James Rodriguez's performance
- Karim Benzema's performance
- Who to rest against Osasuna before the Atleti game?
- Toni Kroos's 'intensity'
- What happens when Luka Modric, Isco, and Marcelo come back?
- CLEAN SHEET!
- And more
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48 min
868
PSG Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Eduardo Alvarez discuss:
- All the individual mistakes in the game, but also the systemic issues that fed it
- Does a change in personnel today actually change things?
- Lack of answers for PSG's solid defensive scheme and incisive offense
- The clear lack of depth in midfield
- James Rodriguez's role
- Guti planting seeds
- What could've been done differently?
- Toni Kroos's effort on defense
- The Dani Carvajal problem
- Imposing your tactics vs being reactive to your opponent
- Some...... Positives... ?
- Thibaut Courtois / Keylor Navas discussion
- Best places in Madrid to watch the game if you're not going to the stadium
- And more.
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49 min
869
Levante Post-game; Potential lineup against PSG
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Matt Wiltse discuss:
- The insane coverage Managing Madrid is doing right now
- The contrasting halves of football against Levante
- Zidane's subs
- Formations we saw throughout
- The outcry about the starting line-up
- Everyone's roles, and standout performers
- Carvajal and Casemiro as the engines in the first half
- Upcoming schedule
- An entire James Rodriguez swoon segment
- Our lineup against PSG
- The healthy competition (in certain positions) in the squad right now
- Vinicius Jr's performance
- Eden Hazard's performance
- Lucas Vazquez's sample size as a right-back
- And more.
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46 min
870
One of the most iconic games in Real Madrid his...
This episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast is in two parts.
Part One, 1960 European Cup Final (Kiyan Sobhani, Om Arvind, Matt Wiltse):
- The significance of the broadcast that night. The world finally saw the greatness of Real Madrid
- Alex Ferguson's comments about the game, as he was in attendance
- Formations in the final
- Di Stefano's role -- false 9 before it was cool
- An entire Di Stefano segment about his greatness
- Gento's legacy
- This team was perfect
- Miguel Munoz's man-management, and also being ahead of his time with his tactics
- Will Di Stefano's role ever exist again?
- Ferenc Puskas shooting on site
- Canario tribute
- Epic Puskas quote
- And more
Part Two, Mailbag (Kiyan Sobhani, Lucas Navarette)
- Marcelo vs Mendy
- How much fault does the medical staff have?
- Florentino and Raiola relationship
- Which young talents would we like to sign?
- Have our predictions changed at all?
- Lineups against Levante and PSG
- A question about taking cards (you'll understand when you listen)
- And more
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78 min
871
2000 UCL Title; Keylor's legacy; Defensive Issues
This Managing Madrid Podcast comes in two parts.
Part one, on the Champions League final against Valencia in 2000 (Kiyan Sobhani, Eduardo Alvarez, Matt Wiltse)
- Link to watch the game
- The atmosphere in Paris for the Champions League final
- The context of that game
- Claudio Lopez: Barca killer
- A bonkers lineup and formation from Del Bosque
- Tactical wrinkles of that chaotic system
- Roberto Carlos was an absolute freak that Valencia had no answer for
- Raul and Macca as central midfielders
- Macca's performance
- The first goal of the game, and Roberto Carlos's long-range free kick
- The TEKA shirt -- controversial, apparently
- Symbolic cameos from Manolo Sanchis and Fernando Hierro
- Baby Casillas
- Nicolas Anelka's weird legacy
- Ivan Helguera's massive performance, and how underrated he was in his peak
- Ivan Campo
- Fernando Redondo masterclass
- And more
Part two, mailbag (Kiyan Sobhani, Lucas Navarette)
- Injury updates
- Revisiting Ramos's mistake against Villarreal
- Potential lineup against Levante
- Can we relax? Or do we have good reason to be worried?
- Why do we loan players to teams that don't play them?
- Keylor Navas's legacy
- If the midfield trio done?
- The unfair criticism Varane gets
- The art of giving out the right contracts without overpaying older players
- And more
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74 min
872
Villarreal Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Om Arvind discuss:
- The infinite BeIn ads
- Zidane and Casemiro's post-game quotes
- What the xG told us
- The team's tactics, and crossing game-plan
- Casemiro's role
- Gareth Bale's performance
- The variety of schemes we've already seen in the opening three games
- Toni Kroos's role and performance
- Ferland Mendy's perforamnce
- Which loanees we could've used in the squad
- Zidane's tactics compared to that of other elite managers
- And more.
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76 min
873
Benzema / Jovic Debate
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarette discuss:
- Bruno Fernandes
- Isco's injury
- Real Madrid's midfield depth
- How we'd like the team to lineup
- Not closing out games
- Casemiro's legacy in the club's history, and his ranking among the club's best ever DMs
- The Benzema / Jovic debate
- Neymar's off-field issues
- Would we take Jose Mourinho back>
- The Bernabeu crowd, and how much it really affects players
- 4-2-3-1
- And more
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42 min
874
Valladolid Post-game
On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani and Gabe Lezra discuss:
- Real Madrid's first half, and the standouts among the team
- Schematic changes, and the dominoes of Zidane's formation shift in the second half
- What happened when James and Isco left the pitch
- The case for Jovic coming in much earlier
- Vinicius Jr's performance
- Breaking down Valladolid's goal
- Real Madrid's xG
- The Carvajal criticism
- More Jovic talk, and why the team needs a goalscoring presence like him on the pitch
- An assessment of James Rodriguez
- How to achieve peak Zidane-ball
- And more
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44 min
875
Manita over Barca in 1995; Kubo to Mallorca; Ke...
This episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast comes in two parts.
Part One (Kiyan Sobhani, Eduardo Alvarez)
- Real Madrid 5 - 0 Barcelona, 1995. Link to watch the game.
- The context and build-up (stemming for three years) to the game
- Four players who played for both teams appeared that night
- Barcelona's offense completely shrivelling. They were paralyzed.
- The decline of Johan Cruyff's dream
- Laudrup, absolute patridazo
- Jorge Valdano's pressing scheme
- An assessment of Raul's first season
- The frenetic pace of the game
- The Hierro - Sanchis dyad
- Luis Milla vs Fernando Redondo (a huge discussion at the time)
- Amavisva!
- Bam Bam! A monster game and season from Ivan Zamorano
- The fans' reaction to Stoichkov's red card just before half time.
- Martin Vazquez's role
- The importance of an attacker's ability to defend
- The Bernabeu's demands, but also their appreciation
- Sergio Busquets's dad was a terrible goalkeeper
- And more.
Part Two (Kiyan Sobhani, Lucas Navarette)
- Takefusa Kubo's loan move to Mallorca
- The latest Keylor Navas update
- Who would Courtois's backup be?
- How true is the report of Real Madrid's mega offer to PSG?
- Fabrica XI from the past 30 years
- Javier Portillo
- Martin Odegaard / Guti player comp
- Odegaard vs Kubo this weekend
- An evaluation of Lassana Diarra's Real Madrid career
- Will we see Xabi Alonso manage Real Madrid?
- Raul's ability as a coach
- System-specific players
- And more.
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