The Drop Zone

Football is finally ending its hiatus --- at least in Germany --- so it's time for The Drop Zone to do the same. Zach and Galen are joined by Josh Eastern and Zack Singer, and we take a close look at the decision of the Bundesliga to return to action this upcoming weekend, including a discussion of what the implications are if they succeed, what happens if they fail, and what happens with the global game in either case. We also go deep in discussing the Premier League, focusing on the issues that have been raised by clubs and officials about resuming the 2019-20 calendar, when that might happen, and what it might look like. There's lots of other interesting items in here as well, including discussions about economics, society, and the realities of clubs and players across the world needing to figure out some kind of competitive model that will allow their financial survival.

The coronavirus has put nearly all sports across the world at a standstill, including the competitions most closely affecting English soccer. We discuss the various ramifications of the stop to the Premier League and Champions League seasons, and debate whether (and how) the leagues might try to resume the season in the future.

13 games have come and gone in the 2019-20 Premier League season, and the Drop Zone is back to chat about it. We discuss Liverpool's surge to the front and the atmosphere surrounding their title push. We also talk about the separation that the top 4 have managed from the rest of the pack, the travails affecting Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton circling the drain (but likely staying just out of the plumbing).

The 2019-20 Premier League season is upon us, with the summer transfer window closing and the season starting today. The boys take the opportunity to evaluate the comings and goings of the league from a number of perspectives, looking at Arsenal and Manchester United's approaches, whether it was wise for Liverpool to sit this one out, and if Spurs did enough to close the gap with the top two. We also give our updated (but still not entirely final) Premier League finishing projections.

Zach and Galen take over the role of technical director of each of the top six clubs, and role-play through the offseason, talking about what each team's needs are, what moves they should make, and what direction they would take things. United needs a fresh start, Arsenal's reboot may have to be put on hold, Spurs need to buy more players this window than they've bought in the last decade combined, Chelsea can't buy anybody, Liverpool don't need much, and City have a major core replacement to ponder.All that and more, on this episode of The Drop Zone.

Zach and Galen return to do a surprise episode of The Drop Zone. We give some sober thoughts and reflections on the Champions League final, including a discussion of the penalty call and the way the game went as a whole. We then talk at length about some managerial off-season questions, including whether Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola are staying put. We also talk about the state of the narrative of the game of English football among the media who cover it, and how breaking the traditional cycle of arms length treatment of fans and media may be a necessary step in the new age of football.

It's hard to believe it, but the 2018-19 Premier League season has come to a close, after a thrilling title race and some desperate moments in the race for Champions League spots. Zach and Galen are back on The Drop Zone to recap it all. We talk about the title race and the historical implications of City and Liverpool's seasons, and give our reads on the narrative realities for each team in the top six. We also look at the pack of teams chasing the top six and discuss if any of them have a chance to pressure Manchester United going in to next year. We finish things off by previewing the Champions League final from both a Liverpool perspective and a Tottenham perspective.

We check in on the Premier League during the 2018/19 holiday break. First up is revisiting our predictions from the preseason for the top 6 and bottom 3. We get into some debates over the ultimate destiny of this vintage of Manchester United, whether City is motivated by a repeat title, whether Spurs can maintain their pace, and if Chelsea or Arsenal are going to be factors. We also discuss the relegation zone, contemplate whether teams like Newcastle or Crystal Palace might lose enough ground to be in real danger, and whether any of the bottom three have a way out.

Back for the start of the Premier League season, The Drop Zone gives the full rundown on what was a pretty tightly packed offseason. We chat about the effects of the World Cup on players and teams, the oddity of the new, shorter transfer window, and the lack of planning that seemed to dominate the business done by many of the teams in the league. We talk about some of the major player and manager moves, and what those implications are for the upcoming season. Finally, we give our predictions for the bottom 3 and top 6.Contact us on Twitter at @doctorgc or @zachosterman, and stay tuned for our next episode, coming in early September.

This episode of World Cup Analysis finds Galen talking about the exciting final Group Stage games from Group D, featuring Argentina's comeback victory against Nigeria. We spend a lot of time talking about that game, about Argentina's chances moving forward, and about the implications of their knockout stage matchup vs France. We also take a lot of questions from the audience about Brazil, Germany, Serbia, and other aspects of the World Cup.You can catch World Cup Analysis every day on Twitter/Periscope, where you can ask your own questions and comment on the games of the tournament.

Today's World Cup analysis focuses on the shock capitulation of Argentina to Croatia, France coasting to victory against Peru, Australia keeping themselves in the mix, and the implications of tomorrow's Nigeria-Iceland game. Plus, we take viewer questions and preview tomorrow's other two games.

Galen is joined by longtime friend of the podcast Lee Delvecchio for this special edition of SportsPolitik and The Drop Zone. We talk about our reflections from the first week of the World Cup, delve a bit into the Messi-Ronaldo debate, talk about the teams that have looked the best through the first ten days, and also talk about which teams should be the most concerned going forward. We also dive into a bunch of other random topics in and around this tournament. This is a fun podcast — give it a listen, you'll enjoy it.

Zach Osterman joins the World Cup Analysis podcast series, as we break down the first set of group stage games, talk about the Group A and B action from the second set of games, and talk about some of the emerging storylines from the tournament so far. Should France be panicked? Should Germany be panicked? What to make of England and Belgium? Was the first set of games really exciting or did it lack compelling drama? All that and more, on this edition of WCA on The Drop Zone.

We finish off the first round of Group Stage games and start on the second round, and lots of things happen in between. Galen Clavio takes you through the primary storylines from the day — Colombia's red card and subsequent loss to Japan, Senegal's superiority over Poland, and Russia's surprising emergence as the alpha dog of Group A. GC also resets his knockout stage picks, talks about the implications of the new projected matchups, and discusses whether the own goal festival that's going on is a stylistic difference or just a random occurrence.

Galen flies solo on this episode. Topics discussed include England's important win over Tunisia, Belgium's proper thrashing of Panama, the problems that the Koreans find themselves in, and whether or not we should be concerned about the pre-tournament favorites.You can catch these podcasts live on Periscope by tuning in to @doctorgc on Twitter, roughly 15-30 minutes after the conclusion of the final games on each day.

We did a World Cup preview. We tried to fight through a bit of apathy at the lack of the United States in the tournament, and came out the other side with previews of each group, plus a very shaky set of predictions for what's going to happen in the knockout phase and beyond. Lots of questions in this one. Can Germany repeat from 2014? Does France have what it takes to put together a winning World Cup campaign? How will Brazil respond to the embarrassment of last time? Who are the dark horses and rooting interests for neutral observers? All of that, plus listener questions and more, on this special edition of The Drop Zone.

After a 10 month hiatus, The Drop Zone is back, as Zach and Galen walk you through the aftermath of the 2017-18 Premier League season. We spend most of our time talking about the Top 5 (with a little Arsenal and Burnley thrown in). We discuss the implications of Manchester City's record-breaking yet somewhat disappointing year, Manchester United's uncertain direction, Tottenham's uncertain future, and Liverpool's chances at glory. We also discuss the relegation victims, and a few other storylines floating around the margins.We'll be back with more Drop Zone for the World Cup early next month!

The season is afoot! We charge into the 2017-18 Premier League season with an hour-long examination of the overarching storylines, transfer business, and overall roster health and construction of the top 7. We then give predictions for the upcoming year.

On this episode of The Drop Zone, we evaluate the major contenders as they sit during the winter fixture congestion, look down the road at the future of the Premier League season, and look back on the doomed venture of Bob Bradley as manager of Swansea.

The Premier League season is six games old, and we take the time to evaluate what we've seen so far. We talk about City's impressive start, United's problems, and the title contention chances of Spurs, Liverpool, and Arsenal. We also talk about the teams that seem the most imperiled, and discuss the destiny of Leicester City.

 After an extended summer break, the boys are back with a new episode of The Drop Zone! In the magic hour of the 2016/17 campaign, we talk about several important issues, including:Who's getting sacked first?Whither Leicester?Which of the two Manchester clubs is going to win the league?Which two world-class managers are most likely to miss out on Champions League play this season?What teams will finish in the top four?Is there a big surprise in store for the league this season?Which teams are destined for the actual drop zone?Theme music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/

Zach and Galen chat about the ongoing travails of Euro 2016, focusing on the surprises from the group stage and the troubles that certain teams (Austria, England, Sweden, Germany) have had so far in the tournament. What has worked and what hasn't, and why?The guys also delve into a robust conversation about the tactical setup of the USA going into tonight's semifinal versus Argentina. What's your lineup and formation for the game?Theme music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/

On this episode of The Drop Zone, Zach and Galen break down the huge transitions going on at the three stalwarts of the Premier League's north. Manchester City's long-term future under Pep Guardiola appears potentially bright, but the short-term is filled with questions, thanks to the odd approach to team-building the club has taken the last few years. Manchester United appears ready to try and make a splash, but Jose Mourinho's first season could be strewn with potholes as he tries to overhaul a roster that has been stuck in neutral. Can he overcome his past tendencies and trust his squad's young stars? As for Liverpool, things went mostly right for Jurgen Klopp during his partial season on the touchline, but questions linger about defensive personnel and champion mentality. With no European competition to distract the squad in 2016-17, can Liverpool better their second place finish from a few years ago?Theme music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/

On this first episode of The Drop Zone, Zach and Galen tackle the post-mortems on the three big London teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur. They chat about the strange reality that Arsenal suddenly exist in, and ponder whether Wenger stands ready to usher the team into a new and uncertain moneyed era of the Premier League. For Chelsea, the questions focus on "Why Conte?" and "Why Terry?", not to mention a question mark or two surrounding the overall problems the Blues faced on the field. For Spurs, it's all about whether or not this team is here to stay, and what they need to do to ensure they stay.Tune in for more episodes of The Drop Zone in the future. Theme music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/