Henry and Isaac relive Leicester's Premier League title-winning season – in part for fun, in part to show one reason why the ill-fated Super League was so despised.
Henry and Isaac dive into a way-too-long list of things in and around soccer that, honestly, most people either don't notice or don't feel strongly about. But we have takes. And we want to hear yours.
You've been chosen to manage Earth in an Intergalactic World Cup. Who's in your starting team? What are your tactics? Henry and Isaac agreed: Only one of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar makes the cut.
Henry and Isaac analyze the state of VAR in the Premier League and around the world. Has it been a net negative or net positive? What aspects of it didn't we anticipate? And how could we improve it? Is the answer to tweak the current system, overhaul it, or scrap it?
Henry and Isaac discuss a recent feature Henry wrote on diversity and accessibility in American soccer, then spin the discussion forward to consequences and potential solutions.
Henry and Isaac react to the whirlwind final day of the 2019-20 Premier League season, then look ahead to the next one. Plus, they discuss Henry's experience rooting for Villa in a relegation battle.
Henry and Isaac are joined by two avid American Gooners, Noah Stack (@noahstack) and Parker Johnson (@parkerkjohnson), for an in-depth look – er, listen – into Arsenal's fall from grace over the past decade-plus.
The EPL is back. Henry and Isaac explain which teams you do and don't need to care about, then analyze the top-four (top-five?) and relegation battles and discuss the many implications of the coronavirus break.
Who's in your club's all-star team of the past 15 years?In Part 2, Henry and Isaac build and debate the 11-man lineups for Inter Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.Already covered in Part 1: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus.
Who's in your club's all-star team of the past 15 years?In Part 1 of a two-part pod, Henry and Isaac build and debate the 11-man lineups for the six most successful clubs: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus.Coming in Part 2: Inter Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.
Henry and Isaac call BS on a dozen opinions, habits and strategies throughout soccer – everything from why playing for a draw is idiotic to why Jozy Altidore is actually very good.
Henry and Isaac tell you everything you need to know about the German Bundesliga as it prepares to resume. Some broad discussion, then... 35:30 — Bayern Munich 40:30 — Borussia Dortmund 48:30 — RB Leipzig 56:00 — Borussia Monchengladbach 1:06:30 — Bayer Leverkusen 1:12:00 — Schalke 1:17:00 — others
"Football without fans is nothing," they say. But what, exactly, is a fan? As the Bundesliga returns, will games be played "without fans," or rather *for fans* who need sport more than ever? And *because* of fans who watch around the world? Are locals inherently more important than fans who watch halfway around the world? Henry and Isaac discuss.
Henry and Isaac build the most annoying, dishonest, dirty, provocative, make-your-blood-boil-and-also-beat-you teams of 21st-century soccer players. Who would be in your Shithousery XI? Tell us @TheLayoffPod on Twitter, or in a five-star Apple Podcasts review, and we'll discuss yours on the next pod.
Saudi Arabia is buying Newcastle. Why is that problematic? Why do petrostates buy soccer clubs? How do sports become propaganda vessels, and what can be done to stop this? Henry and Isaac dive in.
If you were IFAB czar for a day, which soccer rules would you change?Henry and Isaac have some ideas to fix:10:40 — The yellow/red card system26:30 — Handballs and penalties40:50 — Time-wasting and the running clock48:50 — Extra time and penalty shootouts58:30 — The offside rule1:07:40 — Headers
The stratification of European soccer is irreversible. The current structure, therefore, must change. Henry and Isaac lay out plans for reform.9:00 — Why a SuperLeague is necessary24:00 — The main obstacles34:00 — Our SuperLeague plans1:02:00 — Should we want a SuperLeague?1:11:30 — Wikipedia game answers(Follow @TheLayoffPod on Twitter!)
Austin Miller (@austin_james906) joins Henry and Isaac to dissect a fascinating question: What would soccer look like if we erased existing structures and started anew?8:00 — The premise 17:00 — Key questions 33:00 — Our reimagined structures, in brief 43:20 — Austin’s plan 55:00 — Henry’s plan 1:08:40 — Henry’s international plan 1:18:00 — Isaac’s plan 1:32:30 — Austin’s Wikipedia game
Henry and Isaac dissect Major League Soccer's problems and potential. How can the league attract a national audience? Does it need more parity or less? More spending restrictions or fewer?Plus, we propose two very different pro/rel plans, and explain the semi-realistic scenario where MLS becomes (part of) the second-best league in the world.
In Part 1 of a multi-episode discussion on the structure of soccer worldwide, Henry and Isaac compare and contrast the European club game with the NBA and NFL. We explain key differences, such as transfers/trades and salary caps/FFP, but also dive into the reasons behind the differences, which teach us a lot about both sides of the pond.