The Real Deal

A Real Madrid Podcast | @agarthasid ft @jshector | Tactics, Analytics & Philosophical Sports Commentary, Interdisciplinary Thinking & Luka Doncic

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Latest piece on decline of sports media by @AgarthaSid

Virality killed depth
Rage-bait algorithms rule
Quality data storytelling died
Monoculture is dead so audience capture is everything

Plus, what happened to the Real Deal and the future of the show.

https://t.co/shE1XzwnH0

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Incredible resilience from the Knicks to take Game 1 in Sam Antonio. Looked rusty at points, Robinson looked off early, Hart looked scared to shoot (ended +20 & looked like Rodman), Brunson took a hit to the knee, but their length, defensive activity and timely shots prevailed.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Have the Knicks winning the NBA finals in 6 games. Mike Brown’s offensive principles + Karl Anthony Towns as statistically a baby Jokic who can shoot from close to half court can bend the Spurs defense and tilts the equation.

A quick NBA finals thread 🧵

[ACHRAF @LamdarhriAchraf]

Víctor Valdepeñas and Diego Aguado can develop into a Ricardo Calafiori and Josko Gvardiol.

Both play as Left-backs and Center-backs.

I think Arsenal held some interest in the former & Dortmund scouted the latter as a potential replacement for Sclotterbeck.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Doubt Enrique wins more Premier Leagues than Guardiola in same circumstances. Bit more idealistic as a coach, feel he needs bit more sprints/intensity to implement his style, which wears his players out faster. Guardiola more fine tuned defensive possession + lower wear & tear?

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

@sportingintel Speaks to

1) Palace’s incredible recruitment
2) Our incompetence at Real Madrid
3) Some Spanish anti Madrid bias baked in

[Nick Harris @sportingintel]

Crystal Palace will have more players (12) at the World Cup this summer than Real Madrid (10).

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

@DonShelby__ xG had him pinned as most likely unsustainable from day 1. Use cases like this are why I love xG.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

@DonShelby__ @markrstats I didn't pay close attention to his season, but his crossing seems to be valued highly, shows up higher in xT via cross, and also had the most xThreat least season in the league.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

2 years ago, Toni Kroos was the best 'conductor' in La Liga, generating the most threat from his passes and crosses. Now, that mantle belongs to Lamine Yamal.

Alex Baena is quite special too.

Data courtesy @markrstats

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Unfortunately Mitchell Robinson’s health could swing the series San Antonio’s way. Probably the biggest variable. https://t.co/yixtJPxRzW

[Todd Whitehead @CrumpledJumper]

When the Knicks beat the Spurs in the NBA Cup Championship in December, Mitchell Robinson had 10 offensive rebounds in 18 minutes - he grabbed 43% of the offensive rebounds that he went after (which was nearly 2x as much as his already league-leading season average OREB rate).

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Have the Knicks winning the NBA finals in 6 games. Mike Brown’s offensive principles + Karl Anthony Towns as statistically a baby Jokic who can shoot from close to half court can bend the Spurs defense and tilts the equation.

A quick NBA finals thread 🧵

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

In retrospect perhaps KAT becoming so crucial to elite level NBA offense should’ve been more predictable, like Jokic’s ascent post 2019 or 2020. I feel the NBA tends to overvalue Bam Adebayos and undervalue these types of players. Shooting the 3 is so big, you can figure out the defensive pieces and coaching element eventually. Kevin Love was very flawed defensively in Cleveland but 4 straight finals bc he opened the paint up for LeBron. Miles Turner last year. The Celtics were historic when Porzingis played. The Lakers when AD hit jump shots were a different team.

Of course, nobody saw KAT’s playmaking coming. A rare intersection of circumstance and skill. Curious to see how he handles driving on shorter players with Wemby in the paint though, that will test his decision making the most.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Karl Anthony Towns going from "can you win with him in the league" to 3 straight conference finals and potentially the key to breaking the 2 best teams in the NBA is a beautiful arc.

Great clip, had the same feeling on why they can beat Spurs & OKC.

[Ted Knutson @mixedknuts]

We're going to find out if the world can bully one of the current best strikers into working harder off the ball. (Because EEVERYONE works harder than Kylian Mbappe.)

At this point I am dubious, but it is a VERY fun social football experiment.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

@SubmarinerNats @janufooty We had our worst season in forever and Liverpool still had a worse season by every measure, cope lol

[Lev Akabas @LevAkabas]

Jalen Brunson's clutch scoring in the playoffs is literally Michael Jordan-level

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Just one anecdote (not predictive, just noting), but hearing that there’s significantly more activity outside one of Perez’s venues than Riquelme’s.

No more than a dozen people around the Riquelme building, 70ish visible in Perez’s here.

Pictures don’t quite capture it.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Tbh though if Castilla is the easiest way to save money and defense is the most replaceable position, that Dumfries deal seems less than ideal with each passing minute. Gut feeling is this may be like Alaba: a decent season in exchange for a few bad ones.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Of course this also points to the likelihood that the Castilla ship has sailed. Don’t think Castilla should be blindly prioritized like others, however it’s one of the easiest ways to save money on transfers and have a high floor at every position (see: La Masia).

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

In isolation Konate and Dumfries as cheap depth pieces are more than fine. Should help spread the load out. Defense still the easiest place to find replacements in football.

More interested in how Mourinho/transfers shape the midfield and attacking dynamics.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

@sayedsabbir71 Agree ball striking is main difference that may cap him. Flick’s system is scary though that could still mean a very productive system

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Anthony Gordon's end product is not too dissimilar to Raphinha's at Leeds. Of course, Leeds were a worse team, but Raphinha also exceeded all expectations at Barcelona. Gordon brings a lot of similar raw materials. Rotating them and Yamal will be crucial for Barcelona's success.

[The Real Deal @RealDealPodz]

Look what Flick has done with Raphinha’s profile and it all makes sense. He was good at Leeds but didn’t project to be one of the best players in the world.

In similar fashion, Anthony Gordon probably turns into a pressing end product machinr at Barcelona.