Ranks FC - A Football Podcast
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256 episodes
Hello Rank Squad! By the time you're listening to this, every single team in Euro 2024 would have played, and we asked our ever-brilliant Patrons for the questions to help shape an episode around what we've learned so far in the tournament. We kick things off by discussing Kylian Mbappé's broken nose in the France-Austria game, how many games he will miss, and if it opens up an opportunity for young Bradley Barcola off the left wing, who replaced Mbappé for long periods in the PSG season just gone by. Then it's on to England, where some of our Patreons (and Dean) are pretty happy with what they saw from the Three Lions in the opening win against Serbia, whilst others want more from this England team - and from Gareth Southgate, who is in charge. We chat through the brilliant narrative of Christian Eriksen scoring on his return to the Euros with Denmark, before turning our attention to Germany, who won 5-1 against Scotland on the opening night. Nagelsmann's fluid attack is a talking point, as well as whether Germany's use of Niclas Füllkrug could be crucial to breaking open certain games in this competition. Hungary are up next, and we talk whether being tipped to do well perhaps piled pressure onto them, and how they can move forward, as well as giving some love to Switzerland's majestic midfield pair of Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler. Onwards to Italy, who Jack was impressed by in their comeback win over Albania, and there's some more praise on the podcast for the ever-brilliant Nicola Barella, before we discuss if Albania can feel confident coming into their game against Croatia, and give some love to Spain - especially the performances of Lamine Yamal, Dani Carvajal and Fabian Ruiz. And we wrap things up by talking about the Netherlands and whether Ronald Koeman's stubbornness is a blessing or a curse, big up what was an incredible performance from Romania, and look at whether they can continue that form against a Belgium side now under huge pressure after their shock loss against Slovakia. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! After last week's European Championship preview shows, we've taken a plane across the Atlantic Ocean to take you on a whistlestop guide to the teams at this summer's Copa America, which will be taking place across the United States. We examine each of the 16 teams in the competition, their chances of getting out of the groups (and going all the way), and how we think everyone is set as we enter a period of two simultaneous continental championships at once! Dean takes favourites Argentina in Group A, whilst Jack discusses Canada, Chile and Peru. In Group B, Dean's on Mexico duty, whilst Jack talks Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica. Group C sees Dean discuss his new home team, the USMNT, whilst Jack covers Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia. And finally it's off to Brazil for Dean in Group D, whilst Jack looks at Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time to get stuck into this summer's international football, so here's the last in our series of Euro 2024 Preview Shows! We begin today with Group E, which includes Belgium's first tournament under a new head coach, Ukraine's Girona-powered attack, Slovakia's impressive left-hand side, and Romania's youth-injected underdogs. Then it's onwards in Part Two to discuss the last four teams - Group F, which comprises a very strong Portugal side, a very fun Turkey side, a very confused Czechia side, and a quietly hopeful Georgia team making their major international tournament debut. We talk each team's chances of progression and outright victory, as well as the players upon which their dreams will rise and fall, and the managers trying to guide their nations to glory. If you haven't already, why not go and have a listen to our other two preview shows - discussing the other four groups and some of the major players in this tournament? And for the link to our Euros Fantasy Football League - click here https://gaming.uefa.com/en/eurofantasy/leagues/LmqWjA/00520061006E006B0073002000460043/jackjcollins or use the code LMQWJA on the Official UEFA Euro 2024 Fantasy Game! It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time to get stuck into this summer's international football, so here's the second of our series of Euro 2024 Preview Shows! We start with Group C, which include England's Three Lions who got to the final of the last tournament, a pessimistic Serbia looking for a bright end to a talented core, an ageing Denmark side who have opted for experience over change, and underdogs Slovenia, boasting talent at both ends. Then it's onwards in Part Two to discuss tournament favourites France, a Netherlands side that should probably be better than they are right now, dark horses Austria under Ralf Rangnick's distinct style, and a Poland team who squeaked through to the tournament in the playoffs. We talk each team's chances of progression and outright victory, as well as the players upon which their dreams will rise and fall, and the managers trying to guide their nations to glory. If you haven't already, go back and listen to yesterday's episode discussing Groups A & B; and tomorrow we'll round off this series with the lowdown on Groups E and F. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time to get stuck into this summer's international football, so we're kicking things off ahead of the Euros with less than 10 days to go until the first game gets underway. We start with Group A, which include hosts Germany, the Tartan Army of Scotland, wily old Switzerland, and dark horses Hungary. Then it's onwards in Part Two to discuss holders Italy, perennial challengers Spain, tournament specialists Croatia, and underdogs Albania. We talk each team's chances of progression and outright victory, as well as the players upon which their dreams will rise and fall, and the managers trying to guide their nations to glory. The second episode of the series, discussing Groups C and D, will drop on Thursday morning; and then on Friday we'll have the lowdown on Groups E and F. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's that time of the year again - the club football finale in Europe, as the Champions League Final is upon us. This year's showpiece event is at Wembley, between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and we're here to break it all down for you. We start by picking out three reasons why each should be optimistic about winning this final - Dean (as usual) goes in to bat for Real Madrid, whilst Jack takes a look at Borussia Dortmund's chances; before moving on the conversations to the key battles and players who could define the way that this game plays out. Finally, we give our predictions, as well as taking a few from the Rank Squad; before discussing if we think Jude Bellingham would celebrate if he scores. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We thought it was a good time to put together our End of Season Awards Show, so here we are. We take some time to reflect on an incredible campaign, and discuss which players are in the running for our Player of the Season, Rising Star, Most Improved Player, Resurgence of the Year, Goal of the Season, Team of the Season, and Melon Team of the Season for good measure - looking across Europe's major leagues to give credit to the best (and the worst) of the campaign we've just witnessed. Then, in Part Two, Jack dives into a few of the stories that might have slipped under your radar. Whilst we've all rightly heard about the exploits of Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Bologna and the like, there's a couple that perhaps have not quite hit the headlines they deserve. We talk about the remarkable seasons of Stade Brestois, Olympique Lyonnais, FC Heidenheim & Valencia CF. And finally, in Part Three, Dean has some Guru Wisdom about the things he's most concerned about, ahead of the move to America - so if anyone has any tips on driving, tipping culture, and relocated patriotism, please let him know! It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! The domestic club season is drawing to a close. The continental league titles have mostly already been lifted, the Premier League title will be decided this weekend, and whilst there are still some important bits to figure out - the European continental competitions, the domestic cup finals, the fights for survival and the locking in of next season's European places - the season feels like mostly it's all over bar the shouting. So we've turned our attention to the upcoming transfer window, which is going to be punctuated by international competitions in both Europe and South America, delving into which narratives are going to dominate and drive the discourse and write the headlines over the summer. Dean puts his Transfer Guru hat on and explores five topics - Manchester United's centre-back search, the future of Victor Osimhen, the race for wingers with the X-Factor that top teams will be after, the domino effect on goalkeepers that might be set off by the departure of Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal, and whether or not Newcastle United can keep hold of their two star players - Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes. Before that, we take a look at the appointment of Jesse Marsch as the new head coach of the Canada Men's National Team, and the interesting rivalry it sets up with both the USMNT and Gregg Berhalter himself, as well as why this feels like a big moment in the American's coaching career; and in Part Three Dean gives some recent personal Guru Wisdom on why you should always fight to the end, and never give up. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back to take a look at the second legs of the UCL semi-finals, where we saw Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 2-1 and Borussia Dortmund win 1-0 in Paris to set up a clash of Yellow and White in London next month! We start with Wednesday’s action, with Real Madrid's late, late show yet again to beat out Bayern and send the Bernabeu wild. Dean waxes lyrical about the never-say-die spirit of both the fanbase and this team, whilst Jack pours out some love for Joselu and questions some weird substitutions from Thomas Tuchel that seemed to put his team on the back foot in the closing stages. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – where Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the final with a backs-to-the-wall 1-0 win over PSG in Paris. Dean questions whether PSG will ever win this competition, given the roster of stars that have rotated through the French capital and failed, and Jack is impressed with the way that Borussia Dortmund earned their luck, and also a little bit disappointed with how Luis Enrique managed the game from a PSG perspective in the closing stages. We finish with a little discussion about Kylian Mbappé and how his impending departure might have affected the club as a whole this season, as well as what the future might look like without him in Paris. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time to go Continental for this week's episode, building a European Team of the Season from the big six leagues on the European mainland. There were a few more teams, players and contenders to analyse compared to last week's Premier League edition, so it's a dig into the depths for Jack to try and build something special from this season's standout stars. We take a look across the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga, Eredivisie & Primeira Liga to bring you the best 11 we can build based on the performances across the season, trying not to lean too heavily on any one particular team - and there's plenty of discussion and debate as we go. Before that there's an ode to The Bag™️ which has survived its fourth season intact after correctly calling the winners of seven leagues again, and an interesting anecdote on why the Club Brugge-Fiorentina game in the Europa Conference League has been moved to Wednesday; and at the end, Dean asks Jack to help him stop feeling old and explain the basics behind the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef which has dominated the discourse over the weekend. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back to take a look at the first legs of the UCL semi-finals, where we saw Borussia Dortmund 1-0 PSG & Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid. We start with Wednesday’s action, with Dortmund's win. Dean showers some love on Jadon Sancho, who dazzled down the right hand side for Borussia Dortmund - this is the man we loved the last time he was in the Bundesliga; whilst Jack lavishes some praise on Marcel Sabitzer, and discusses the dissection of PSG's midfield, who weren't able to gain any control over proceedings in Germany - as well as giving our thoughts on who progresses next week. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – where Real Madrid didn't play brilliantly, and yet came away from Munich with a credible 2-2 draw. Dean puts some more respect on the name of Vinicius Jr., and we discuss whether next season it could be him, rather than Kylian Mbappé, playing in the No. 9 role for Los Blancos. Jack has some nice things to say about Bayern's maestro Jamal Musiala, as well as some thoughts on a good night for Thomas Tuchel and his tactical tinkering - before we discuss who comes out on top in the second leg at the Bernabeu. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! You've seen the debates raging on Twitter, so we thought it was worth putting our two pennies worth into the mix. Here is our attempt at creating our Premier League Team of the Season, examining the best players across the course of this campaign and working them into a formation (and a unit) that would actually function. We start between the sticks and work our way through to our Number 9 - with Dean and Jack each picking a team and working together to come up with the Official Ranks FC selection together. Before that, Jack waxes lyrical about his trip to Naples to see Napoli, and the overwhelming awe that he found himself in at the city's insatiable appetite for football and it's team, and in Guru Wisdom, we share a new song that was sent in by one of our Patrons for our Friday show - and the plans for Ranks FC over the summer with the European competitions coming up. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Just four teams remain in each of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, and so we thought we'd get our competition ranking caps on to discuss which teams are favourites to lift those trophies in their respective competitions at the end of May and the start of June. We start with the Champions League, with Dean examining Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund as contenders to lift the most coveted prize of all amongst the European elite. Are Real Madrid unstoppable? Could Tuchel go out with a bang at Bayern? Will Lucho inspire PSG to overcome their nearly-men tag? Or could BVB spring the ultimate surprise in this pack? Then it's over to the Europa Twins, and Jack takes the reigns, discussing Atalanta BC, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and Olympique Marseille as candidates to lift the Europa League this season; before turning attentions to the wild baby brother - the Conference League, Europe's newest competition, and looking at Aston Villa, AC Fiorentina, Club Brugge and Olympiacos' chances of winning the prize this year. And finally, Dean take Guru Wisdom control to bring you his latest fitness tips ahead of his move to San Diego this summer, which is a bit of a mind-boggler. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back to take a look at the second legs of the UCL Quarter Finals, which took place across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Real Madrid's defeat of Manchester City on penalties - discussing how City fans shouldn't be too disheartened with what was a dominant performance, how Jude Bellingham has a perfect understanding of Real Madrid's off-the-cuff nature already, and why Los Blancos are now favourites to win this whole things again; as well as Bayern's 1-0 win over Arsenal - talking how the Champions League allows Bayern to play in a style that arguably suits them more, why Arsenal weren't able to force the issue enough to overcome their opponents, and how Thomas Tuchel defied the critics with an impressive display tactically. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Borussia Dortmund's impressive 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid through the lens of Marcel Sabitzer's impact on this game as a whole, why Angel Correa needs more praise for the effect he had on the game off the bench, and why Borussia Dortmund have helped themselves out in more ways than one; before finishing with a discussion of PSG's 4-1 win in Barcelona - via talk of PSG's individual talent starting to shine through in a more cohesive whole, how Barcelona let the emotion and the occasion get to them, and why the brilliance of Luis Enrique could be the key to PSG breaking their Champions League curse. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! After Cole Palmer's star turn on Monday night against Everton, we got thinking about the players who have used this season as a platform to thrust themselves into the spotlight, and become some of the star names in their respective leagues. We start in the Premier League, where Dean has a ranking of his three breakout stars - a flying fullback at Liverpool, Manchester United's midfield metronome, and the aforementioned Chelsea sensation now joint-top of the scoring charts. Then it's off to Europe for Part Two, where Jack guides us on a quickstop tour of La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Eredivisie and Primeira Liga - picking one player from each who has made this season their own. Then finally, Dean discusses some of the football related purchases for the boys this week - including some exciting bits ahead of his move to San Diego in time for the Copa America this summer. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back to take a look at the first legs of the UCL Quarter Finals, which took place across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Barcelona's topsy-turvy win over PSG - discussing how both managers were able to influence the game with their substitutions, the strange nature of PSG's struggle at defending set pieces, and Barça's excellent mix of youth and experience starting to shine; as well as Atletico Madrid's 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund - talking Atleti's early intensity and how they rattled their visitors, the defensive mistakes that allowed the hosts to launch themselves into the lead, and how both Antoine Griezmann and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens impacted the game. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Arsenal and Bayern's 2-2 draw at the Emirates through the lens of the two penalty shouts, Leroy Sane's impact in a counter-attacking team, and the experience of this Bayern unit allowing them to play in different ways at this stage of the competition; before finishing with a discussion of Real Madrid and Manchester's City's latest bout - a 3-3 classic at the Santiago Bernabeu - via talk of Rodrygo shining on the left hand side of this Real Madrid attack, Rodri's ridiculous run of games unbeaten in a City shirt, and why games like this are just how it should be. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! The talk of the football world right now seems to be the fact that Liverpool are reportedly closing in on their next manager - Rúben Amorim of Sporting CP, who became the leading candidate once Xabi Alonso made it clear that he planned on remaining at Bayer Leverkusen for at least one more season. Amorim is a young coach with a high pedigree, and someone we talked about a little bit on our recent episode ranking young up-and-coming managers https://pod.fo/e/21d544, but we wanted to go into a little bit more depth this time round. In Part One, Dean discusses the situation as it stands right now, and a little bit on which journalists you should be following for the on-the-minute exclusive news surrounding Liverpool's pursuit of the Portuguese. In Part Two, Jack dissects three questions Amorim would need to answer should he start next season in the Anfield dugout, and three strengths of his that should mesh nicely with the Liverpool squad as it stands, as well as the ethos of the club. And in Part Three, Dean's Guru Wisdom is tested as he tries to give Reds fans a helping hand on their way to find an appropriate chant for their potential next boss. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Something a little bit different today, and we hope you'll find it as fun a listen as we found it to record. Dean put together a list of seven potential rule changes that he thought could improve the game of football immediately - we discussed everything from stopped clocks to goalkeeping handballs over the course of a manic main ranking. We also took some suggestions from our brilliant Patreon community in part three, chatting through some of the best (and worst) suggestions that came in via our brilliant community! Before that though, there was some love for both the Manchester City documentary and how it was shedding light on the title race in the Premier League, and the wild race for promotion in the Championship, which took centre stage over the Easter weekend. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for us once again to turn to a positional ranking - having covered the best centre-backs and centre-midfielders in the game, we're switching our attention to wingers, wide forwards and those stars who shine the brightest on the flanks. Again, we'll be splitting it into categories - this time shearing the ranking down the lines of those who play on the right and the left, and examining both with a top five and some honourable mentions. There's one particular player at the end too, who doesn't quite fit naturally into either space - so he gets his own little chat! In Things We Love, we spend a bit of time talking about Endrick, who scored his first senior goal for Brazil against England at the weekend, and also produced a beautiful interview with The Player's Tribune following that in which he described his road to the top of the game; and also Vinicius Jr, who gave an incredibly powerful interview of his own ahead of the game between Spain and Brazil, set up to try and combat the racial abuse he's received in stadiums around the country. We finish as ever with a bit of Guru Wisdom, and the final part of a run of helping find new teams to support for people, before we start to mix things up again in the final segment. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone. This is the segment on the USMNT's 2-0 victory over Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League, marking three times in a row that Gregg Berhalter's side have won the competition - with a performance that was a night and day contrast from the US' struggles against Jamaica in midweek. We discussed what that means for this team going forward, the issues with chanting from fans that saw the game paused whilst the offenders were removed, Tyler Adams' brilliant goal and impact as a whole, what the midfield will look like going into the Copa America, Antonee Robinson, the future of Santi Gimenez, and a whole lot more. The full episode is here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/101031609?pr=true It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! And...breathe. After the drama of the last few weeks across so many different competitions, men's club football has come screeching to a halt for the last international break of this season, which gives us a chance to take stock and examine all the drama to come. Let's be real - there's so much drama to come. We've picked out five different elements that we think could provide the most heart-racing finishes to the season - starting at the top of the Premier League table, and then racing through the Champions League fights in Italy, Spain and Germany, the Serie A relegation scrap, the title race in Portugal, and the fight for promotion (and survival) in the Championship. There's also time for a new Guru Wisdom, in which we reveal what Ellis did with our suggestions for a new club to follow last week, before helping out a new Rank Squad member this week as he searches for teams to follow in England and France. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone. This is the segment on Manchester United's win over Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag's side coming from behind in extra time to end Jurgen Klopp's farewell quadruple dream - there will be no more stops at Wembley on the Goodbye Tour. We discussed how important that is for Ten Hag's chances of remaining as Manchester United manager next year as INEOS take full sporting control of the club, the influence of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, whether Klopp made some mistakes in his midweek rotations and substitutions, and a whole lot more. The full episode is here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/postbox-united-100593851 It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the last four games of the Round of 16 stage, which took place across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Atletico Madrid's defeat of Inter on penalties - discussing how much braver Atléti were in possession today, why it's a shame that one of these two sides had to exit the competition so early, and how Inter's game plan was well considered, but badly executed; as well as Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over PSV - talking Jadon Sancho's return to flying form, the influence of the eternal Marco Reus off the bench, and questioning how PSV didn't put the ball in the back of the net. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Arsena's dramatic penalty win over Porto through the lens of Mikel Arteta trusting his process, how David Raya came of age on a big night at the Emirates, and how the visitors were smart and streetwise, and why it's important for Arsenal to have come away with the win; before finishing with a discussion of Barcelona's 3-1 triumph over Napoli via talk of Barcelona's new-found intensity and why the crowd were so important, how Napoli might have missed a golden chance to taste European glory in the last two years, and why Barça's future is bright with Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal all having huge games. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's a Champions League week, so we thought it could be fun to throw up something a bit more evergreen whilst still linking into the action, so we're here to rank our favourites of a very exclusive list. We walk through the top 20 goal scorers in European Cup & Champions League History - which Erling Haaland has just catapulted himself into - and each pick out our three favourites from the list, based on our own personal criteria. Before that, we have a quick look at the evolving situation at Liverpool where the post-Klopp era is starting to get some structure, and what that means for the managerial merry-go-round in the summer. And of course, there's a Guru Wisdom, where this week we're helping Ellis to find himself a Premier League club. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway returns, as we take a look at the games that saw the first four teams book their spots in the quarter finals of the UCL. We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Leipzig - discussing why Leipzig will see this is a massive opportunity missed, how Real Madrid got away with one without anyone in the box, and a look at the big name midfield struggling with dynamism with Fede Valverde out wide; as well as City's 3-1 win over Copenhagen - talking the depth of City's bench being absolutely outrageous, why Copenhagen should look back at this campaign with immense pride, and how this was in many ways the perfect game for City between two massive Premier League clashes. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Bayern's 3-0 win over Lazio at the Allianz which included a whole heap of relief for Thomas Tuchel, a stark reminder of the lasting brilliance of Thomas Muller and Harry Kane, and why performances like this could end up leaving Bayern as dark horses; before finishing with a discussion of PSG's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in San Sebastian - the tactical nous of Luis Enrique, why Anoeta more than deserved its goal at the end, and how Kylian Mbappé took the keys and went into fifth gear. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Today we're taking a look at some of the most important and influential players who could be departing the Premier League this summer, for a variety of reasons. We walk through a couple of bona fide Premier League legends, some big names who might be a little bit past their peak right now, and some crucial cogs who could be tempted away by the lure of trophies or bigger names. From veteran legends at Manchester United and Liverpool, to big parts of Eddie Howe's Newcastle United project, to regular forwards at Tottenham and Chelsea - there's some stories and insight here that you will not want to miss. Before that, we get stuck into the bones of the Premier League title race and the new format for the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League next season, and then in Part Three we're on the hunt for teams for another listener - this time Mitch in North Carolina. It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone. This is the segment on the Manchester Derby, where Phil Foden took centre stage once again to light things up as Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-1 - City's Stockport sensation trumping United's Wythenshawe wizard on a day where two academy products scored brilliant goals for their respective sides. We discussed Foden's importance to this City side, his place right now in the POTY and Ballon d'Or debates, how United's tactics dissolved into a lack of cohesive plan in the second half, where Foden and Rashford sit in Gareth Southgate's England set up, and much more. The full episode is here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/99718708 It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! You've been asking for more specific rankings, so we took it upon ourselves to deliver - this week's episode takes a look at the players across Europe who play in the centre of the park, and tries to rank them as to who's the best in the business - across three categories: Defensive Midfield, Attacking Midfield, and good old Central Midfield. It ignites a few strong debates - both as to who fits into what category, and which players should make our respective podiums, but we discuss pretty much all of the big names across Europe's Five Major Leagues and beyond. There's also another Club-finding episode of Guru Wisdom. After the success of last week's hunt for Chris' new clubs, Aidan got in touch to ask if we could find him a club to support in Serie A - based on his criteria. We did our best to help! It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! We wanted to share with you an excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, on which we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone. This is the segment on the Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, where Virgil van Dijk's late header got Jurgen Klopp's farewell trophy tour off to the perfect start. We discuss the difference between the two sides, the importance of club culture and buy-in, where Pochettino got his in-game management wrong, the performances of VVD, Kelleher and Wataru Endo, and much more. The full episode is here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/99235408?pr=true It's Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the second set of First Leg Round of 16 fixtures across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Porto - discussing the significance of Porto's gameplan halting Arsenal's goal rampage, the remaining question marks over Arsenal's comparative infancy back in the competition, and Wenderson Galeno making up for a horror miss with a wondergoal; as well as Napoli's 1-1 draw with Barcelona - talking two teams that are both lacking confidence and spark, the impact of the big-name Number 9s who both got on the scoresheet, and the size of the job that new manager Francesco Calzona has on his hands in Naples. Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at PSV's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund through the lens of a slightly fortunate penalty call for the hosts, the impact of Donyell Malen against his former club, and PSV's chances and fluidity in attack; before finishing with a discussion of Inter's 1-0 win over Atleti via the relentless nature of this Inter side, why Atleti need to be braver in midfield if they want to turn this around, and how Inter are probably the form team in the competition right now and should be classed as one of the favourites. It’s Ranks! http://patreon.com/ranksfc
