Ranks FC - A Football Podcast
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It's time for The Truth! Liverpool have played 19 games this season, winning 17 of them, drawing one and losing just a singular game. They've got the best defence in the Premier League, whilst only Tottenham Hotspur have outscored them going the other way. Top of the Premier League and top of the new Champions League table, it has been an incredible start from Arne Slot's side by anybody's standards. We take a look at what has changed to give Liverpool that element of increased control, as well as how certain players have visibly improved under his stewardship. The emergence of Ryan Gravenberch as the team's heartbeat, the new-found clinicality of Luis Diaz, and the excellent of Ibrahima Konate have not gone unnoticed. There's also some discussion on the circumstances around Liverpool, the platform left by Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool's old propensity for one legendary manager setting up another, and how this looks in the second half of the season - as well as our thoughts on the contract situations surrounding Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Are Liverpool surfing a wave brought on by surprising circumstances surrounding Arsenal and Manchester City, or are they the real deal? The Truth is usually somewhere in the middle... but not always! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your midnight feast of Champions League content - after an incredible week in the Champions League that saw Champions crumble, new powers rising, goals galore & some shock results. We start with Wednesday's action, opening with the breathless end to things in Eindhoven - where the USMNT's Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi fired up an incredible late comeback that saw their side overcome Shakhtar Donetsk at the death. Then it's on to Anfield, where Liverpool made light work of an out-of-sorts Madrid, lacking Vinicius and a few others. We discuss Mbappe's struggles, how Liverpool maintained perfect control, the midfield 'battle' and Conor Bradley's breakout performance. We also discuss a calamitous own goal from Cameron Carter-Vickers at Celtic Park, rescued by a brilliant Daezen Maeda strike at the other end; the drama at the finale of Aston Villa's 0-0 draw with Juventus; a brilliant game between two excellent sides in Benfica and Monaco; Jamie Gittens' star turn in Dortmund's impressive win over Dinamo Zagreb; a stunning Champions League performance from Lille's Ngal'ayel Mukau; and shock results in the early kickoffs as Sturm Graz beat Girona and Crvena Zvezda hammered Stuttgart in Belgrade. Then in Part Two, we're onto Tuesday's action, which begins witha deep dive into City's unthinkable collapse against Feyenoord which put all the worst fears of City fans into a stark perspective - this is real and it's happening. What next for Pep's men, and could they possibly turn it round in the most unlikely of locations - Anfield? We talk a bit of a strange blockbuster game between Bayern Munich and PSG and where both teams are right now, before heading over to Lisbon to discuss Arsenal's demolition of Sporting, which was one of the best performances we've seen under Mikel Arteta as all the parts finally click into place for the Gunners. Jack installs Inter as his favourites to win the competition following their incredibly mature win over struggling RB Leipzig; we look at a big night for Robert Lewandowski as Barcelona beat Brest 3-0; discuss Atalanta's 6-1 mauling of Young Boys and insist you don't write them off; ponder why Milan keep making things so hard for themselves, even in a 3-2 win in Bratislava; and end with quick discussions on hammerings handed out by both Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's that time of year where certain teams start looking towards the January Transfer Window to either bolster their side for a silverware push, or to try and fix gaping holes to resurrect a flailing season. We take a look at both in today's episode, where Dean walks us through some of the things he thinks might take place in the upcoming winter window. We talk about a number of things - a potential Manchester City move for more goalscoring potential on the pitch, whether Malik Tillman might be in demand from Premier League clubs, possible landing spots for Lyon's Rayan Cherki if his club are forced to sell by financial constraints, who Real Madrid might target to deal with their defensive deficiencies, how Barcelona might try to find some backup for prodigious talent Lamine Yamal, and where Liverpool might go in their search to either try and long-term replace or assist Mohamed Salah as that contract situation rolls onwards. Before that, however, there's time for Things We Love, where we discuss some of Jude Bellingham's comments regarding feeling low after England duty this summer due to some of the criticism received, and the reports coming out of Spain that Peter Lim is apparently finally about to sell Valencia, ending nearly a decade of fan-led protests against his running the club into the ground. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! With Ruben Amorim set to take the reins at Manchester United this weekend, Sam and Dougie dig into the future of Marcus Rashford - whether he fits into the new system that Amorim is likely to play at Old Trafford and if he can utilise a fresh start to revitalise a career that feels like it's in limbo right now. Whilst Rashford's last year or so has been somewhat underwhelming, there is also a feeling that he has been playing in a team that has been far less than its component parts, and that without a functioning system around him, Rashford is one of the players who struggles to make an impact the most. That should change under Amorim - given what he has achieved at Sporting - but without an out-and-out winger in his preferred 3-4-2-1 system, where does Rashford fit best? As one of the floating 10s behind the striker? Or as an out-and-out No 9 tasked with running the channels and getting in behind opposition defences? Can United's homegrown superstar rekindle his spark under his new manager? Or could he get stuck in football purgatory - trapped by high wages and a sky-high-fee, but without any of the interest to genuinely find a new home? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We're delighted to have a new voice on the show today, Mr Eli Quivey, a self-professed 'English bloke in an American body' and a TikTok star, who has recently spent 10 days completing a football trip of a lifetime around England - visiting his beloved Old Trafford, Anfield on a Champions League night, and of course, the home of football, Craven Cottage. Eli walks us through his journey and what took him to this point, before he takes the reins for the main ranking - talking through the five things he loved most about English Football Culture whilst on this side of the Atlantic, and allowing for some interesting cross-comparison with the experiences he had growing up in the US. Then Dean flips the script, finishing the show with a ranking of the things he has missed most about the UK (from a footballing perspective) since making the hop across to San Diego. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! With Manchester City coming into the international break having lost four games in a row for the first time under Pep Guardiola, Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley take a deep dive into what exactly is going on in the blue side of Manchester, and if they can recover their sparkling form to win a fifth title in a row. Whilst the injuries to key players - namely Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne - have obviously played a huge role in this poor streak, is there something deeper going on? Pep has always liked to work with a smaller squad than usual, but have they pushed the boundaries too far in not finding adequate replacements for key men in a time of strife? There's also further questions - have City gone too hard on bringing in players who can create within the system and left them short in terms of goalscoring options outside of Erling Haaland? And why has John Stones not really been utilised in defensive midfield given the obvious deficiencies there in Rodri's absence? So, is this a question of poor squad planning finally getting the better of Manchester City's tight-knit unit? Is Pep being too stubborn with his choices in playing an aging midfield who look physically deficient? Or are City maybe not quite as good as they were last year? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! With the final international break of the calendar year now in motion, we thought it would be a good time to take stock of what's happened so far in European club football and rank the clubs who have impressed most over the start to this season. Jack's taken out any clubs he feels are underperforming expectations to narrow the field, and then ordered the seven he feels have started the strongest to give us a ranking based on what we've seen on the pitch. There's entries from all across Europe's Big Seven leagues, with some league leaders matched up with some drastic overperformers as well - so this really is one that should stir up some debate. Let us know who your picks would have been across our socials! Before that, there's some time for Things We Love, which this week digs into the MLS postseason and the rise of the underdog in the Eastern Conference, as well as Fiorentina's flying form and the resurgence of Moise Kean as a bona fide star. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! With Mikel Arteta starting to get some real heat on social media for Arsenal's recent performances and their lack of goal threat, Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley take a deep dive into what's making Gunners fans so upset about the way that their team have played recently under their former player. The biggest question that's being asked is whether Arteta is being too defensive in the absence of Martin Ødegaard, and whether that has cost his team from creating chances to score - even given the fact that the club captain and chief creator is not on the pitch at the moment. This was meant to be a season of further growth for Arsenal, but given that City do not look as strong as last season in the absence of Rodri and De Bruyne in particular, it has been Liverpool instead who have seized the initiative to take an early lead at the top of the Premier League table. So, are Arteta's tactical choices holding Arsenal back? Are they suffering from an over-reliance on adding defensive solidity in the transfer market? Is he being too cautious with the youngsters such as Ethan Nwaneri? Or are Arsenal just currently underperforming across the board - held back by their numerous absentees? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your midnight feast of Champions League content - after one of the wildest weeks we have seen in the competition in recent times. We start for a change, with Tuesday's games, opening with Sporting's huge 4-1 win over Manchester City - a parting gift from Ruben Amorim to the Jose Alvalade as City were cut open in transition again. Was it as bad as it looked? Maybe not, but the blue half of Manchester have some valid concerns, whilst the red half are ready to welcome their new manager with open arms. Then it's on to Anfield, where Liverpool maintained their perfect record in the competition with a 4-0 win over Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a Luis Diaz hat trick, and some more excellent half-time tweaks from Arne Slot, who got it right yet again. Real Madrid were stunned at home by Milan, where Paulo Fonseca's use of Rafael Leão was next to perfect, and the questions about how Kylian Mbappé has unbalanced this team remain burning bright. Can Carlo Ancelotti turn this around or are the obvious holes in the defensive line too big to fill with superstars alone? We round up the rest too: Celtic re-announced themselves in the competition with a big win at home to Leipzig, BVB dug out another win in their mini-resurgence, Malik Tillman starred as PSV beat Girona 4-0, Lille and Juventus shared the spoils in France, Monaco stayed hot with a late win in Bologna, and Dinamo Zagreb smashed four past competition whipping boys Slovan Bratislava. Then in Part Two, we're onto Wednesday's action, which begins with Inter's narrow win over Arsenal that cemented them as genuine favourites and continued to pile the questions on Mikel Arteta about how to get the best out of this (admittedly depleted) Gunners side. Also up for discussion is PSG's devastating late loss to Atletico Madrid and how the Parisiens just seem to lack confidence the moment anything goes against them, despite a bright start here; and Aston Villa's fatigued 1-0 loss to Club Brugge that will be headlined by a weird penalty call, but in reality was a pretty reasonable result - Villa were outplayed in Belgium. We finish with a roundup of the rest of the Tuesday games - Barcelona hitting five in Belgrade against Crvena Zvezda as their front three continues to shine; Bayern's hard-fought but well-deserved win over Benfica; another clean sheet for Atalanta as they won 2-0 in Stuttgart; a first win for RB Salzburg as they shocked Feyenoord at De Kuip; Brest's third win from four as the Pirates set sail for Prague and plundered more points against Sparta; and Shakhtar Donetsk's Sudakov-inspired victory over Young Boys. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Something a little bit different this week, a little bit more out of the old school B/R Football Ranks playbook, as we do a live ranking of the world's footballing superstars in the current day and age - based on both their star power, their influence on their teams, and their form so far in this season. The first debate is what makes a 'superstar' - shirt sales? Goal and assist numbers? Global adoration? Once that's out of the way, we take ten names and try to order them in terms of where they fit in the current pantheon - are the days of Ronaldo and Messi dominating the landscape completely gone? Are the dynamic duo of Mbappé and Haaland now dominant? Or have others like Vinicius Jr and Lamine Yamal disrupted the situation so much that they now sit at the forefront? We discuss it all. Before that though, there's time for Things We Love, where this week we're talking about Fulham's dramatic West London Derby win over Brentford thanks to two stoppage time goals from Harry WIlson, as well as Damien Duff leading Shelbourne to a dramatic League of Ireland title in his first senior job in managament. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley take a deep dive on a transfer that stunned many observers last summer, when Chelsea spent £115, a British record fee, to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. Caicedo had been one of the Premier League's revelations the season before, but it took a while for him to get his feet under the table at Stamford Bridge. Many were quick to write the transfer off as another piece of business where Todd Boehly had spent way too much money on a player who was performing well at the time, but since 2024 began, Caicedo has begun to show exactly why Chelsea were desperate to gazump Liverpool for the Ecuadorian's signature. We discuss his impact on Enzo Maresca's resurgent Chelsea side, and what has changed for the Blues to get the best out of Caicedo since the turn of the year, as well as examining his sometime midfield partner Enzo Fernandez, and wondering if that partnership might be one that ends sooner rather than later with Romeo Lavia now staking his claim for a starting spot alongside Caicedo. Is Moises Caicedo on a trajectory to be one of the best midfielders on the planet, or is the fee still too high for a player who doesn't seem to have all that many goals in his locker, even if he's brilliant at everything else? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We're dialling in today on the big news that broke this week - Manchester United's sacking of Erik ten Hag and their approach to replace him with Sporting CP's Rúben Amorim - which at the time of recording looks very close to being completed. First of all, Dean walks us through the ins and outs of how the Manchester United backroom came to the conclusion that they were going to part ways with Ten Hag, and why it happened at this point; before detailing their approach for Amorim and how they were able to move so swiftly and efficiently in securing their first-choice target. Then, in Part Two, Jack takes over to talk about what Amorim brings to the table, both on a personal level and from a tactical perspective. We discuss the nature of Sporting when he took over there, and how he has form for turning around a huge club which is on its knees, as well as his communication mastery and how he has got a disparate group of players to buy into his methods and turned Sporting from also-rans to the dominant force in Portuguese football. There's also a chat around how his formation and ideology maps onto this current Manchester United squad - the players who will thrive in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 and those who might struggle for minutes, as well as some thoughts about problem areas which United will probably have to look to tackle in the January transfer market or the summer. Finally, in Part Three, we talk a little bit about Monday's Ballon d'Or trophy, which was awarded to Rodri of Manchester City and Spain. There was quite a fallout from his victory, including Real Madrid somewhat throwing their toys out of the pram about the fact that Vinicius Jr didn't win it, so we give our thoughts on the entire unsavoury scene. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley discuss a topic that continues to divide fans across world football - whether Arsenal's leading man Kai Havertz is now an elite striker worthy of being included in the pantheon of the planet's best. Havertz exploded onto the scene for Bayer Leverkusen in 2016, and by 2018 he was making waves at his boyhood club, becoming the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances and establishing himself as a force in Peter Bosz's attack. By the time he moved to Chelsea in 2020, Havertz was one of the most in-demand young players in the world, but at Stamford Bridge things never felt quite right. Despite scoring the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final, Havertz's positional versatility meant he felt like a square peg in a round hole in many ways. So when Arsenal splashed out £65m for Havertz in the summer of 2023, eyebrows were raised, and after a difficult start to life in North London, many wrote Havertz off as a player who couldn't cut it at the top level. A year later, and with the German firmly established as Arsenal's first choice No. 9, the difference is astounding. Breaking records and brimming with confidence, it feels like a good time to ask whether Havertz is a stopgap to an out-and-out striker, or now in the right place to finally rise to the very top of the beautiful game. The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your midnight feast of Champions League content after the main meal was served up on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights by the third round of our new 36-team competition. We start with Tuesday's games, opening with Barcelona's 4-1 dismantling of Bayern Munich that saw them lay recent demons to rest against their most regular scourge, the naivety of some of what Bayern did both offensively and defensively, and how Raphinha's promotion to the captain's armband in Catalunya has him cooking on Ballon d'Or contender form. Then it's on to Leipzig, where Liverpool made it 11 wins from 12 with a 1-0 victory against one of the teams from Jurgen Klopp's new fiefdom, and a quick look at City's 5-0 win over Sparta Prague which saw Erling Haaland score one of the most acrobatic goals you'll ever see in your life. We round up the rest of Wednesday's action too, peeking at Leverkusen's 1-1 draw with high-flying Brest, Celtic's imperious defensive performance against previously free-scoring Atalanta, Feyenoord ending Benfica's year-long unbeaten run at the Estadio da Luz, Lille stunning a Madrid side for the second time in two matchdays - this time Atleti at the Wanda, Inter's impact substitutes getting the job done for them against Young Boys, and hapless Salzburg's 2-0 loss to a very punchy Dinamo Zagreb side. Then in Part Two, we're onto Tuesday's action, which begins with the other side of La Liga's Clasico - Real Madrid's 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund which centred around the identity of these two clubs, and how this script could have been written by almost anyone who knows them. We touch on Vinicius Jr's incredible hat-trick, and the decisions that BVB manager Nuri Sahin made which took the game away from what could have been a famous night of revenge for his side. We head over to Birmingham next to discuss just what to make of Unai Emery's Aston Villa and their 2-0 win over Bologna that installed them at the top of the Champions League table, and down to North London to discuss a 1-0 win for the Arsenal that was a little bit uncomfortable at times, but dearly needed by Mikel Arteta's side to just quieten the noise and get themselves back on the right track. We finish with a roundup of the rest of the Tuesday games - Milan's 3-1 win over Club Brugge that included an Olympic Goal from the irrepressible Christian Pulisic, Stuttgart's well-deserved 1-0 win over Juventus which saw the Bianconeri's unbeaten start under Thiago Motta derailed, PSG's profligacy in a 1-1 draw against PSV, Monaco's 5-1 thumping of Crvena Zvezda which reaffirmed their credentials as a team to be reckoned with, Girona's first ever Champions League win as they beat Slovan Bratislava 2-0, and Sporting's 2-0 win over Sturm Graz which saw another goal and an assist for Viktor Gyokeres. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We're just over two months from the January Transfer Window opening, and whilst that seems like some time, it'll roll round fast - so the backroom staff across a number of teams are hard at work in working out what they're going to do when the curtain rises. Today, we're taking a look at the big questions facing a number of Premier League teams in the mid-season shuffle, from doubling down on squad depth to capitalise on a hot start, to replacing a key member of the squad who will be out for the entire season, to offloading some of the deadwood in the squad to make space for new blood. We touch on Liverpool's contract dilemmas, Manchester City's potential Rodri replacements and rotators, Newcastle United's stick-or-twist question on a new forward and the future of Alexander Isak, Tottenham's Richarlison quandary, and Chelsea's long-term interest in a goalkeeper and a Number 9. Before that, there's time for Things We Love, which this week consists of Dean's excitement for the genesis of San Diego FC and how a brilliant Decision Day and a beautifully poised MLS Cup Playoff setup has fuelled that; whilst Jack talks about his visit to Deportivo La Coruña last weekend to see a former giant of the Spanish game, and some of the exciting young players he caught a glimpse of whilst at Riazor. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley deep dive into Barcelona's famed academy, La Masia, which produced a golden generation during the early 2000's that spawned Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and a whole lot more who contributed to Barca conquering the world. A fallow period for academy graduates followed, leading many to wonder if that golden era truly was a one off, and if modern football could never truly see something similar happen in the modern game, with all its financial pressures and the desire to stay at the apex of the sport. But of late, La Masia's talent fountain has sprung anew, with a host of young homegrown talent in Hansi Flick's squad as Barcelona have started this season hot - Alex Balde, Hector Fort, Gavi, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, and of course, Lamine Yamal. Is this a sign that the pathway is open again for the Catalan talent factory, or is this simply a consequence of Barcelona's reckless spending leaving them with no other choice? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! October has crept up on us quietly, and there's less than a fortnight now until we find out who will claim the coveted Ballon d'Or Trophy - the little golden ball that signifies the best player in the world over the previous season. So, with that in mind, we've put together our own thoughts on who deserves football's most prestigious individual honour. Jack is joined by Dougie Critchley to talk through each of our Top Fives for this season's trophy. Will Rodri's European glory take him to top spot? Is this the moment that Vinicius Jr achieves what countryman and idol Neymar Jr never could? Or could an outside bet sweep in to take the throne? Before that, there's time for Things We Love, which includes a discussion on Trent Alexander-Arnold's rumoured links to Real Madrid, a wonderful story from New Mexico about a USL club doing their bit for the community, and some notes from Bolivia on their national team's resurgence and famous upset against Colombia in this international break. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley take a look into the career of Paul Pogba, the reasons he ended up in a four-year-ban from the game, and what the future holds for him now that the ban has been reduced to 18 months - meaning he can return to football in March 2025. We look at the traits that made Pogba such a joyful experience to watch on the pitch, as well as those which frustrated fans; what his best role has been and could be in the future; and determine exactly what would constitute a success upon his return to the beautiful game, as well as mooting some options where his future might lie in terms of club football. Is this the story of a wasted wonderkid, whose actual career didn't leave up to the remarkable talent that he no doubt possessed, or is Pogba's maverick style about to return with flair and panache as he gets a reprieve and a second chance to write the end of his legacy whilst he's still relatively young? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's tough out there as a manager. You can be winning trophies and be the designated Chosen One one minute, and then on the verge of losing your job the next. It's brutal, but it's the way football works, so we wanted to revisit an old staple and take a look at some of the managers under the cosh this season, and what the future holds for them. We start with the big discussion point in the Premier League - the future of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, but more under the microscope of who United could legitimately bring in right now as an instant improvement, before getting into things properly. Dean picks three in the Premier League - Julen Lopetegui at West Ham United, Gary O'Neil at Wolves and Russell Martin at Southampton - as we assess their situations and give our verdicts. Then we head Continental, as Jack takes a look at who's under it in Europe - visiting Paulo Fonseca at AC Milan, Gerardo Seoane at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Ivan Juric (!) at AS Roma, and Ruben Baraja at Valencia CF, to see what their situations look like in this international break. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley dive into a topic that opens up some uncomfortable questions about the way that the English league system operates - is it becoming impossible in the modern game for newly-promoted sides to survive in the Premier League? In 2022/23, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town were promoted from the Championship, and in 2023/24, all three were relegated back there. After six games of the new season, all three of the promoted sides - Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton - find themselves without a Premier League win, and remain the bookies' favourites to return back to the second tier at the end of this campaign. So is this a foregone conclusion? Does the monetary imbalance between the PL cash cow and the drip-downs that don't drip down mean that it's becoming more and more difficult to make the jump? And is there a blueprint to survival that more teams need to follow to avoid following the same fate? Was last year's three-up-three-down just a blip in the Matrix? Or is this just an overreaction to a singular event that is the exception that proves the rule? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your midnight feast of Champions League content after the main meal was served up on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights by the new 36-team competition. We start with Tueday's games, opening on Aston Villa's already-famous win over Bayern Munich, where Unai Emery hurt Bayern again, and we saw a repeat scoreline of the 1982 European Cup final, only this time with Jhon Duran the man of the moment. Then we discuss losses for both of the Madrid sides - Real Madrid to Lille for their first loss in 36 games, and Atleti's dismemberment at the hands of a newly-resurgent Benfica. Next, it's to Anfield to look at Liverpool's 8th win in 9 games under Arne Slot - this time a 2-0 win over a stubborn Bologna, and then on to Germany, where 10-man Juventus proved their mettle with a 3-2 comeback win in Leipzig. We round up the rest of Tuesday's action by peeking at Dinamo Zagreb's 2-2 draw with Monaco, Christos Tzolis' stunner leading Club Brugge to a 1-0 win over Sturm Graz, an absolutely ludicrous encounter between Girona and Feyenoord that ended 3-2 to the visitors, and Atalanta's comfortable win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Then in Part Two, we're onto Tuesday's action, which begins with a look at Arsenal's weirdly comfortable 2-0 win over a very pedestrian PSG at the Emirates, then onto Dortmund's 7-1 dismantling of Celtic and their early optimism in the competition, Leverkusen's hard-nosed 1-0 win over AC Milan at the BayArena, and Barcelona's almost picture-perfect night as they beat Young Boys 5-0 in Catalunya. We finish with a roundup of the rest of the Tuesday games - Manchester City going to Slovakia and strolling to a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava that saw their academy players come to the fore, a brilliant game between the Dutch and Portuguese Champions as PSV and Sporting played out a 1-1 draw, Brest's brilliant start continuing with a 4-0 thrashing of Salzburg away from home, Inter's rout of Crvena Zvezda in Milan, and a hard-fought draw between Stuttgart and Sparta Prague. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! In the wake of the injury to Rodri that looks set to keep him out for the majority of the season, it got us thinking about a topic that's been a bit of a Ranks staple down the years - who is the most important player for a variety of teams across Europe? We start in the Premier League, examining options for Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, before turning our attention to the continent to discuss the contenders for that crown for PSG, Milan, Inter, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. There's plenty of debate across almost every club, which is natural for a topic as subjective as this one, but we dive deep into the options as we try and work out not who is the best player at each of these European giants, but who is the one that they simply could not live without. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley take a look back through the annals of history to analyse the career of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and ask the question - was he a world class striker in the pantheons of the all-time greats, or just an excellent player in his day? Zlatan has long divided opinion, even in a world before the hyper-sensationalisation of social media that we see today. From dancing through players on his debut, scoring some of the best goals that the game has ever seen, referring to himself exclusively in the third person, needing to be the lightning rod for whichever team he played for, and constant references to lions and gods, there is no denying the man was pure entertainment. But entertaining and being one of the greats are two different things. So is Zlatan right up there with the greatest ever to play the game? Or was his own perception of himself bigger than his legacy on the pitch? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We're going on a bit of a trip down memory lane in today's episode, but one grounded in a very recent occasion - the game between Manchester City and Arsenal at the weekend, which had many of the hallmarks of the beginning of a new rivalry reaching its simmering point at the top of the division. With that in mind, we take a look at the game and the narratives surrounding it, before walking back through the rest of the Premier League's most memorable battles for supremacy: Pep's Manchester City vs Klopp's Liverpool; the noisy neighbours affair as City and United wrested for bragging rights in both Manchester and the League at the end of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure; Jose Mourinho's scraps as Chelsea boss against Sir Alex's United and Benitez's Liverpool; the legendary Wenger vs Ferguson era of Arsenal and Manchester United; and even to the formative days of the new Premier League where Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United tried to challenge United's early dominance. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley sit down to discuss a topic that's been circulating across social media, broadcast radio and YouTube for quite some time - the idea that Pep Guardiola has somehow ruined the game that we love, in the process of changing it amidst his dominance of Europe. We explore the ideas that are often used to berate Pep - that he is responsible for the death of long-distance strikes and flair players; that physicality and ball retention have become so commonplace; the sheer number of copycat managers who have attempted to transplant Guardiola's style onto teams with less technical ability; and the concept that he has made football boring by the pure dominance of his Manchester City team. Is there credence to these suggestions? Or are people just angry about the fact that Pep's City just feel inevitable in their quest to stack up trophies? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! You heard the music, and we're back in Champions League mode as the newest era of the competition gets underway with the new Swiss League stage replacing the old group stages. This is Part Two of your Takeaways from this week, looking back at the action from Wednesday and Thursday night. We start with Arsenal's trip to Bergamo, where David Raya's heroics meant that Arsenal came away with a hard-earned point against Europa League Champions Atalanta; before looking back at 10-man Barcelona's 2-1 loss to Monaco, Atleti's late winner as they beat Leipzig 2-1, and Leverkusen's return to thumping form as they dismantled Feyenoord 4-0 in Rotterdam. Our first part ends with a few thoughts on Benfica's nervy win in Belgrade over Crvena Zvezda, and Brest's wonderful 2-1 win over Sturm Graz which was sadly not in their own stadium. Then in Part Two, we're onto Wednesday's action, which begins with a look at the 0-0 stalemate between two of Europe's best sides in Manchester City and Inter Milan - a game for the coaches, not the players, in many ways. Popping over to Paris, we examine PSG's (somewhat) lucky win over Girona, head to Belgium to discuss Jamie Gittens' game-changing cameo as Borussia Dortmund beat Club Brugge 3-0, and give some love to a rampant Celtic who dismantled Slovan Bratislava 5-1 at Paradise. Rounding things off, we briefly talk about Bologna returning to the competition after 60 years away with a 0-0 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, and Sparta Prague's hard-nosed 3-0 win against a very youthful RB Salzburg. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! You heard the music, and we're back in Champions League mode as the newest era of the competition gets underway with the new Swiss League stage replacing the old group stages. The first day brought us plenty of goals, and plenty of talking points, and Jack and Dean are here to discuss all of them with you after the first six games of this matchweek. We start with Liverpool's trip to Milan, where Arne Slot's Reds were able to put the ghosts of Nottingham Forest behind them on the way to what was a comprehensive and important win at San Siro; before moving onwards to discuss the 9-2 hammering that Bayern Munich handed out to Dinamo Zagreb, and the game between Sporting CP and Lille OSC in Lisbon. In Part Two, we start with Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart, which was very much not as easy on the Bernabeu pitch as it looked on paper, before discussing Aston Villa's successful trip to Bern, where they beat Young Boys 3-0 despite an artificial surface, and Juventus' crucial 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven, which might have been the best performance of the season yet from Thiago Motta's new-look Bianconeri! We'll be back on Thursday to wrap up the action from the next two days of UCL action, so we'll see you very soon. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley sit down to discuss one of the burning questions of the international break - whether Erik ten Hag is the man who can guide Manchester United back to where they want to be, challenging for league titles and competing consistently in the Champions League. United's summer was a chaotic one, starting with the new INEOS-backed ownership fluttering their eyes at a number of different managers across Europe, before finally coming to the conclusion that the best one (or the best that they could get) was already at the club in the shape of Ten Hag. Three games into the season, and the knives are out for Ten Hag again, with United's last game before the international break - a 3-0 home loss to Liverpool - driving home the point to many that the Dutchman was perhaps not the best man to be in the dugout as United attempt to get back to the top of the pile. So is he a help or a hindrance to the club's plans to return to the top table, and are his tactics limited or simply making the most of what he has at his disposal? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! The window is shut, there's been a few games to see how teams look, and it's time to finalise our long-term predictions for this season, which can only mean one thing here on Ranks - it's time for 5x5! And, as has become tradition for this episode, the Rank God Sam Tighe is back in the building to share the microphone with Dean and Jack. The concept is simple - we each pick how we think the top five in England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain are going to look when the curtain falls in May. First, we take a look at what happened last time out, before working through our selections, our thoughts on how a shedload of sides have started their campaigns, and some more questionable bold calls from Jack, hot off his successful Leverkusen shout last year. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley sit down to discuss the hottest topic in the world of football right now - whether Chelsea's transfer strategy is a 4D Chess plan that will leave others in the dust, or a chaotic playground of excess that's destined to struggle for some time. Chelsea's additions of João Felix, Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, amid others - caused some consternation on social media; whilst their outgoings of Conor Gallagher, Ian Maatsen, Thiago Silva and Lewis Hall depleted the squad further of homegrown talent and valuable experience. It led to a bit of an online firestorm regarding what Chelsea were up to under Todd Boehly and Clearlake, and whether the soul of the club was being traded in to allow for a blitzkrieg transfer policy to remain in operation. Is the whole thing a disaster, or could it be that Chelsea are just a few steps ahead of the rest? The Truth is somewhere in the middle... http://patreon.com/ranksfc
