Ranks FC - A Football Podcast

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to discuss Liverpool - which seems to be the topic on everybody's lips right now. After a perfect start to the season from a results perspective, three losses in a week have opened up a discourse which was previously being kept at bay - whether Liverpool's imbalances since a summer overhaul have actually made them weaker, even just in the short term. We work through the starting eleven, and why things look so drastically different to last season at the beginning of this, examine some of the problems that are currently peeking above the parapet, and try to pull together some suggestive solutions that Arne Slot could employ to address said issues. So, are Liverpool too chaotic this time round? Is this just a minor blip that will be straightened out as soon as the break is over? And can the new signings become as crucial to the Reds as some of their previous itinerants were? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!With the international break upon us, we wanted to throw things forward a little bit, and dip into Dean's little black book of contacts to discuss some potential moves that could end up being the big stories of next year - either in January or in the summer transfer window. We start by examining the situation around Harry Kane at Bayern Munich and whether his release clause will trigger a scramble across Europe for his services; before discussing whether Enzo Fernandez could be one to make way in this Chelsea project if one of the big guns was willing to buy him out of what is a long tied-down contract from a huge transfer fee. We also talk through the future of Kobbie Mainoo, Mike Maignan, Dusan Vlahovic, Carlos Baleba, Joshua Zirkzee, Antoine Semenyo, Gleison Bremer and Yehor Yarmolyuk; who could all be subject to major interest over the next 12 months. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to discuss Harry Kane, and the phenomenal form he has started this season in - continuing on from two exceptional seasons since joining Bayern Munich in 2023. Things start off with just some general appreciation of just how good the England captain has been in Bavaria, before we try to fit him into the pantheon of great strikers of the last decade. Better than Robert Lewandowski? How does he stack up against your Sergio Aguero's and your Luis Suarez's? Could anyone be as good as Karim Benzema? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's the second Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at Wednesday's action from the second Matchday of the League stage. We start in Barcelona in a game which many wanted to be last season's final, as Luis Enrique's PSG were in town to play Hansi Flick's Barcelona. It ended in a dramatic win for the holders, but not before a cracking game with plenty of drama. Following that, we head to Monaco to take a look at Manchester City's controversial 2-2 draw which ended in a late equaliser from the spot for the hosts. In Part Two we address two wins for Premier League sides - a 4-0 hammering that Newcastle United dished out to Belgian Champions Union Saint-Gilloise, in one of their best performances so far this season; and Arsenal's 2-0 win over Olympiacos at the Emirates, where the full depth of Mikel Arteta's squad was put on display. In the final part, we round up all the rest of the action - Villarreal's 2-2 draw with Juventus which swung wildly in terms of momentum; Borussia Dortmund's dominant 4-1 win over a weakened Athletic Club; Napoli running it back Manchester style as they beat Sporting 2-1; Qarabag making it two wins from two with victory over Copenhagen; and Leverkusen's relatively dull 1-1 draw with PSV. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!The Champions League is in full flow now and your Takeaway returns to have a look through all of Tuesday's action. We begin in Istanbul, where Liverpool's week took another tough turn with a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray - seeing Alisson and Hugo Ekitike injured in the process. We follow this up with a visit to their weekend opponents - Chelsea - who eked out a 1-0 win over former boss Jose Mourinho and his Benfica side. In Part Two we address the Madrid sides in the competition - it's been a very, very good week for Atletico, who backed up their derby win with another "manita" - smashing five past Eintracht Frankfurt; whilst Real notched five of their own on their long journey to Kairat Almaty - with Kylian Mbappé's red hot start to the season showing no signs of cooling off. In the final part, we address Spurs' 2-2 draw in the Arctic Circle against Bodø/Glimt - where Thomas Frank's side pulled off another rescue act - before rounding off all the other action: Bayern's 5-1 win over Pafos, Marseille's 4-0 hammering of Ajax; Inter swatting aside Slavia Prague 3-0; and Atalanta's 2-1 comeback win over Club Brugge. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to discuss the woeful start that Aston Villa have had in this campaign, and whether this is just a blip or something more concerning for Villa fans.We examine the fallout of the financial peril in the summer, the work in the transfer market that has potentially left Unai Emery shorthanded for this season, the influence of Monchi - who has now left his post at the club, the lack of width from the Villans so far in games, poor form from key players, and so much more. Is this just a blip or is there more deep rooted issues that might dog the club for the rest of this season? Can Emery turn things around, or is there cause for drastic action if a U-Turn isn't achieved in the near future? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! We're now a couple of matchdays into the new season and some interesting trends are starting to rear their head in different capacities. Today, we take a look through some of the things to be keeping an eye on this season, the storylines that might prove to be pretty important come the end of this campaign. We start in the Premier League with a discussion of the newly promoted sides, their hot starts and what this might mean for the bottom rung of the established order - pondering whether this could be the year where finally the three up are not the three that go back down. Then it's off to the continent, discussing Real Madrid's newly found structural awareness under Xabi Alonso; the exciting resurgences of both Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig; sleeping giants finally awakening in Serie A; a potential battle for the ages for the Champions League spots in Ligue 1, where everyone is flawed and fun; and Francesco Farioli's hot start at Porto coming up against the return of Jose Mourinho at Benfica. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to take a look at the concept of the Bundesliga Tax - the idea that it is more difficult for players who come from the German top flight, to establish themselves as successful in the Premier League - something often thrown around on social media. So, what is it, does it genuinely exist, and what are the examples and evidence that you can use to suggest that such a tax does or doesn't play a factor when players move from the Bundesliga to the PL? We take a look at a host of them, as well as examining the differences between the leagues stylistically which may play a part in why adaptation takes longer from some leagues than from others. Does the Bundesliga's style mean players look like they overperform and thus are overvalued? Or is this just a case of Premface, with fans dismissing continental leagues as inferior despite evidence to the contrary? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!We are back in business for the Champions League and there's plenty to discuss. We start with Thursday's action, where Marcus Rashford inspired Barcelona to a 2-1 win at St James' Park; before moving on to Manchester City's win over Napoli - which was fairly routine after Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off. We wrap up big wins for Eintracht and Sporting, before looking at Leverkusen coming twice from behind at Copenhagen and an incredible win for Club Brugge over Monaco. Then it's a look back at Wednesday, with Liverpool leaving it late yet again to win 3-2 against Atletico Madrid, Bayern sweeping Chelsea aside 3-1 thanks to a Harry Kane brace; as well as comfortable wins for last year's finalists PSG and Inter; a big first point for Pafos against Olympiacos; and honours even between Slavia Prague and Bodo/Glimt. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!The first day brought us 23 goals, and plenty of talking points, and Jack and Dean are here to discuss all of them with you after the first six games. We start with the game of the night - Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund - where drama abounded in a goal-drenched second half; as well as looking at Arsenal's 2-0 win at San Mames, seeing off Athletic Club in what was a pretty much perfect start for Mikel Arteta's men, in a vociferous environment. In Part Two, we talk through Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Marseille that suggested that there's plenty to be excited about, and still plenty too to work on for Xabi Alonso; as well as Tottenham's opening night win over Villarreal thanks to some very strange goalkeeping - before wrapping up two big upsets - Qarabag stunning Benfica 3-2 in Lisbon and Union Saint-Gilloise seeing off PSV 3-1 in Eindhoven. And, finally, we take a look through some of the favourites to win the competition and a few dark horses to watch as well to round things off. 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! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to dive into the incredibly chaotic summer that occurred at Newcastle United - headlined by the saga that surrounded Alexander Isak's eventual move to Liverpool, but that also saw an incoming holdout in Yoane Wissa; multiple targets move elsewhere until it became an internet meme; one of the most unique players in world football in Nick Woltemade make a late move; a number of strong additions across the first-team squad; and plenty more besides. Take a breath, Magpies. We examine the ins and outs from St James' Park this summer, and discuss if the squad looks in a better place overall than last year, even perhaps without the stardust of Isak to sprinkle on top of it. There's a brief chat about international football as well to start things off, where Jack's brutal treatment at the hands of his own beloved Republic of Ireland is starting to feel a bit like sadomasochism. Have Newcastle United found themselves in a weaker position from a bargaining perspective? Or have they eventually managed to hand Eddie Howe a more rounded squad to work with? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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! After a diverging night for Jack and Dean on the international stage, we settle back in on club matters to try and keep things in check. 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, as has become tradition on this episode. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in business for the new campaign alongside Jack, and they begin the season with a look back at the transfer window, taking stock of the signings that could end up being the difference between success and failure for a multitude of different clubs. We start with a little chat about each of our clubs - Sunderland, Aston Villa and Fulham - catching up on what the summer has felt like for each of us from a transfer perspective, before moving onto the main topic. We try to find signings that will define the Premier League winners, the relegation battle, the overachievers, the underachievers, and the Champions League race. Will they be season-defining or is there major issues still to fix? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! With the chaos of the transfer window now safely in the rear-view mirror, we take a look back at an incredible wild Deadline Day and examine who came out of it looking stronger than they did at the weekend. Firstly, Dean takes a look back at how his Deadline Day unfolded, and compared it to a good many years of covering the busiest day in any transfer journalist's calendar; before we discuss the massive spends by clubs across the board this window. In the main segment, Jack works through five teams who had successful ends on Deadline Day, for a variety of reasons, from sheer desperation to well-executed late planning - Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Fulham and Juventus; before we break down some of our favourite transfers from across the window in Part Three. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!As Deadline Day approaches, there's still a lot of business that feels like it needs to be done in the market - perhaps more so than ever before. We take a look through the biggest deals remaining in the Premier League ahead of the window slamming shut, working through club by club to hit the big stories. We start with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City - three teams that seem quite linked in the deals that they all are trying to make happen in these final days; before taking on three of the teams named United who desperately need reinforcements - West Ham United, Newcastle United, and Manchester United. Finally, in Part Three, we take a look at the slightly more luxury shopping elements going on at Chelsea and Liverpool to round things off. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Whilst the Premier League previews dominated our thoughts last week, we haven't forgotten that there's plenty of excitement taking place elsewhere as well, and so this week we're turning our attention to Spain, where La Liga got underway this weekend. In Part One, Jack and Dean look through the big three of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, taking stock of their transfer business, where each team is ahead of the season, and the big questions that each have to face in a campaign where there is considerable pressure for all three to deliver on the silverware front. In Part Two, Jack is joined by Ruairidh Barlow, Editor of Football España, to discuss some of the other big storylines - who pushes for the final Champions League place, which big teams could struggle, the promoted sides and their chances of survival, and a couple of hot takes and predictions for the season ahead. Then, finally, in Part Three, Jack and Dean discuss the seemingly impending Liga game between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami, why it's happening, and our feelings about it - which are quite different, to say the least. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Here's the second half of our Premier League preview, where we flip down the bottom of the table, examining the three newly promoted sides in the shape of Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds United - and whether any of them can defy the gravitational pull that has seen the last six teams who have come up from the Championship all go straight back down. We look at the teams who they'll be looking to reel in as well - Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, Brentford and Fulham, as well as Community Shield winners Crystal Palace, European-bound Nottingham Forest, newly upwardly mobile Everton and Andoni Iraola's tricky Bournemouth, who caused all sorts of problems for teams last season. Which of the mid-table pack will be dragged into the dogfight, and which will be looking skywards to try and challenge for Europe? It's all up for debate in the final part of this double-edged Premier League Preview, and it's Ranks! And, if you're interested in a new daily football news blitz every morning, have a listen to First Up Football - Jack would be hugely appreciative! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the first half of our Premier League preview, where we take a look at the top of the table - can Liverpool go back to back as Champions for the first time in 40 years, or will the revolution at Anfield take more time to settle down than they might imagine? Is Arsenal's stability enough to take them over the line? Will Pep Guardiola embrace the chaos with Pep Lijnders as his right hand man? And could World Champions Chelsea have enough to put themselves in the conversation? We discuss all of that, before heading over to the conversation for the last Champions League place and beyond - where are Newcastle United after a difficult summer? Where are Aston Villa after effectively standing still for most of the summer? Are we expecting Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur to rally hard enough to bother Europe? And are Brighton genuinely contenders at this point?It's all up for debate in the first part of this double-edged Premier League Preview, and it's Ranks! And, if you're interested in a new daily football news blitz every morning, have a listen to First Up Football - Jack would be hugely appreciative! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! We figured that with the new season drawing in, we'd start to draw a few conclusions of our own regarding where teams are right now - and what might happen over the next 10 months - so without being too wild, we've picked out a few bold opening statements each that we think reflect where the situation lies at this point in time. Dean goes first to pick out five warm takes that he's got ahead of the new season, from Erling Haaland having a fightback moment to Spurs potentially struggling given they have multiple fronts to compete on; before Jack takes over for a few on Chelsea, Brentford, Brighton, who might struggle in La Liga and a potentially transformative summer in Portugal. Before that there's Things We Love, which discusses the all-United tug-of-war for Benjamin Sesko's services, and Evan Ferguson's move to Roma which sees him now under the tutelage of 'dream for attackers' manager Gian Piero Gasperini. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! A slightly different take on the transfer window so far on today's show, because Jack has wrested the show plan off Dean to discuss some of the teams we haven't quite had time to deep dive on so far this summer. So, in the light of looking at very interesting windows that we've seen across Europe, it's time to scour some of the teams who have had the busiest starts to the summer. First, we take a look at two of the promoted clubs to the Premier League - Leeds United and Sunderland - to explore how their quests for survival are shaping up from a personnel perspective, examining what they've done already and what still needs to be done to become more competitive than their compatriots from last season. Then it's onto the continent, where Napoli are putting their foot on the accelerator after winning Serie A last season and seeing many of their competitors in a state of flux; Lille have had their spine ripped out by free transfers and look like they could be in a spot of bother; and Atletico Madrid are backing up last season's big spend with another huge summer of activity. Before we do that, Dean talks about a potential rebirth for Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United amid reports that Tottenham Hotspur were trying to secure his signature; and Jack talks about the impact of the the Lionesses going back-to-back at the European Championships, after a tournament full of grit and never-say-die attitude. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! In the last few days we've seen deals for Hugo Ekitike, Marcus Rashford and Viktor Gyökeres come to fruition (or close enough as not to matter). So, how do those signings for Liverpool, Barcelona and Arsenal affect their fates? We discuss those in Part One. Then, in Parts Two and Three, we move on to the deals not yet done, with Dean picking a host of other players out whose potential futures - whether they stay or go - could end up defining the summer. There's discussion on Alexander Isak, Xavi Simons, Christopher Nkunku, Luis Diaz, Rodrygo Goes, Benjamin Sesko, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, João Palhinha, and a few more besides. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's been a busy summer already - teams participating in the Club World Cup, plenty of big business, managers on the move, new stadiums and plenty more; so we want to look at the teams who are going to look very different to the end of last season when we get going in earnest again. We start with a look at the CWC Final, where Chelsea showed that they might well be a different beast to the slightly predictable side from last season. Then, after the break we explore a number of Premier League sides who have been busy in one form or another - Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Newcastle United, Brentford and Arsenal. And we wrap things up with a quick look around Europe - Como's changing transfer strategy, and completely new eras for Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen headline the bill. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! After Dean kept the streak alive last week (it's now the 339th week in a row where there's been a Ranks episode, shouts out DJ), Jack's back from marital bliss to take ahold of the reins again - and after a brief discussion about the festivities and the differing football mindsets of the younger generation of Jones', we head into our main ranking. Dean and Jack both pick a few of their favourite transfers out from the done deals this summer, and discuss them in some depth. DJ opts for Milos Kerkez's move from Bournemouth to Liverpool, Igor Jesus joining Nottingham Forest from Botafogo, and Matheus Cunha's switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Manchester United. Jack takes a dive into Cunha's replacement at Wolves - Fer Lopez, signed from Celta Vigo (and Celta's bounceback purchase of Ferran Jutgla from Club Brugge), as well as Martin Zubimendi switching Real Sociedad for Arsenal, and Alex Baena's move from Villarreal to Atletico Madrid. Finally, we wrap things up with a small tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, who so sadly passed away in a tragic car accident at the end of last week. And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's a Dean Jones solo special with Jack off doing marital bliss, so there's a different feel to today's episode, where DJ is taking things solo to discuss the Club World Cup and some of the ways it might affect the football we know. There's some discussion on the fermentation of cross-federation rivalries and why ticket prices need to be considered far more ahead of a second iteration of the tournament, before the rule changes are discussed, in terms of what's been good and what's made the game a worse watch in the grander scheme of things. Dean finishes things off by asking ChatGPT to come up with 10 rule changes that are feasible in the game in the near future, ranking them 1-10 in an extended return to the Nonsense Rankings. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's Jack's last episode as a Bachelor, and we thought we'd take a look at some transfers to send him off blissfully into wedded life. Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz, breaking the British Transfer Record in doing so, and we discuss his arrival at Anfield and how he might fit into Arne Slot's Champion Reds next season. That gives us a launchpad to talk about some of the other most expensive transfers in Premier League history, so we rank 2-10 (feels a bit early to judge Wirtz just yet!) in order of the value they provided for their fee and also their transformative impact on their clubs - running through some of the obvious flops, all the way to the deals which are proving worth every penny. There's also time for a little Things We Love, where Jack gives some flowers to Santi Cazorla and Real Oviedo - one of the true feel-good stories of a summer mired in controversy and differing opinions. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!Today we're diving back into the murky depths of the transfer market, and looking at some of the potential deals that are being discussed right now. It's a seller's market, in so many ways, and that often means that teams will overpay for players - whether through a gamble on a major talent, a burning need to fill a gap, or because they're absolutely hellbent on trying to turn things around after a tough season the year before. We look at five deals that feel like they might be a big step, with Dean suggesting them, and Jack generally arguing about why it's actually a pretty good bit of business - for a variety of different price tags and reasonings. Before that, we get stuck into the Club World Cup, hear about Dean's experiences on the ground and Jack's ones watching from across the Atlantic, and try to work out what we can learn from the tournament a year out from the 2026 World Cup.It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!The (first) Transfer Window has officially closed, but there's been plenty of activity on the managerial merry-go-round across Europe, with new faces taking over at new places - to the delight of some and the chagrin of others. On today's episode we're looking at a number of new bosses and analysing how we think they fit their new home. We start with the most recent appointment - Brentford's Thomas Frank is all set to take over at Tottenham Hotspur, who moved on from Ange Postecoglou at the end of last week, and try to build on that Europa League trophy that Ange won in what turned out to be his final game. We discuss the differing approaches and how this might all work out; before moving on to talk about Xabi Alonso's new era at Real Madrid, after he left Bayer Leverkusen to replace Carlo Ancelotti; and his replacement at Leverkusen - former Manchester United and Ajax gaffer Erik ten Hag. Then in Part Three, we get stuck into the Calcio Chaos - Christian Chivu replacing Simone Inzaghi at Inter; Max Allegri returning to AC Milan to take over from the sacked Sergio Conçeição; Gian Piero Gasperini leaving Atalanta to take over from Claudio Ranieri at Roma, with the Tinkerman turning down the Azzurri to stay upstairs in the Eternal City; and former Gasperini disciple Ivan Juric replacing the old chessmaster at Atalanta. There's some chat too about the Club World Cup and some of the transfers yet to happen this summer at the start of the show, and don't forget to take a look at our Patreon, where there's loads more transfer podcasts and newsletters happening over the course of this summer. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! The footballing summer is officially here, with the Champions League Final crowning what has been a pretty unbelievable season in Europe all round. We start today's episode with the final word on that final, where Luis Enrique's brilliant PSG absolutely dismantled Inter in one of the all-time great showpiece performances. Then, it's onto the talk of the summer - transfer season; and whilst there will be plenty of this covered here on Ranks all summer long, we wanted to take a look at some of the deals already done or nearly done, that we have reservations about for one reason or another. Some are personal, some are club-related, and some are just a question of fit; but whilst there could and should be levels of excitement, it's important to try and be realistic as well. We discuss the details of moves for Rayan Cherki, Jobe Bellingham, Liam Delap and Matheus Cunha; and also touch on Bruno Fernandes' decision to stay at Manchester United. We finish off with a discussion of some of the deals we think are absolutely guaranteed to be a success, as well as some early thoughts on the links between Arsenal and Benjamin Sesko. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth! For the last time this season, Sam and Dougie convene in the studio to record, and for the season finale, they're looking back at the first year of the podcast - what they got right, what they got wrong, and some of the best bits as well. Picking for each other, the boys choose a Best Take, Worst Take, Most Enlightening Take and Most Surprising Take from the year just gone, and analyse them with the huge added benefit of hindsight - as well as a hint of some justification. Before that, we have a chat about Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League, and Aston Villa's failure to secure Champions League football, as we finish up what's been a magnificent first year for the podcast. How did the boys do? Well, as ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!With the conclusion at the weekend of the domestic campaigns still running, we thought it was a good time to look back on the season just gone and hand out some awards for the best (and worst) of what we've seen across the board. We start by talking about our favourite stories of this season, where we both plump for underdogs turning their seasons around, before we head into the main event. Across the Premier League and the rest of continental football, Dean and Jack work through Players, Managers and Clubs of the Season; before finishing off with the Letdowns of this campaign, and the Best Signings for good measure. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at the Club World Cup, set to kick off just a couple of weeks after the European season ends. The tournament has divided fans and pundits alike, with some seeing it as a bizarre power play from FIFA to try and rival the riches of the Champions League, whilst others feel that it's an opportunity to spread the game's wealth on a more even keel globally. We examine the history of the tournament and where the concept originated from, before taking a look at how it matters differently to different areas of the globe - in some place, it's a real badge of honour; whilst in others, it's treated as a second-class trophy. Perhaps more importantly, there's a deep dive into the finances of the tournament and how it's going to work, as well as some thoughts on if we should really be adding more football into an already oversaturated calendar - whilst the concept of the CWC is a good one, generally; is there actually a real need for this given the amount of football players are already going through? So, is this global benevolence or a cash grab from the Federation? Are the big teams going to send shadow sides or are the megastars going to give it all they have? And to whom does this all matter most? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! It's the first transfer focused episode of the summer, and we set out the stall for what's to come in some of the biggest deals. Set your stalls out, ready yourselves - because some of these ones will definitely become sagas, dragged on for months in negotiations. Jack starts things off by giving some love to Villarreal and the job that Marcelino has done with the Yellow Submarine, before we get down to business discussing the latest on the future of Florian Wirtz - the transfer that's likely to set the high bar for spending, if Bayer Leverkusen's star playmaker does depart the BayArena. Then it's on to Dean's list, where we chat through a host of names likely to be on the move, starting around the £25m mark and working our way up to long beyond the £100m boundary. There's chat about a host of players, including Dusan Vlahovic, Liam Delap, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Martin Zubimendi, Bryan Mbuemo, Xavi Simons, Viktor Gyokeres, Ebere Eze, Rodrygo, Benjamin Sesko, Alexander Isak and loads more. And then in Part Three, we take a look at which of the deals discussed might represent the best value for money in the market, trying to balance that impossible scale between risk and reward. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at where Arsenal find themselves right now - and whether there is complete faith in Mikel Arteta to make them take that next step to winning serious silverware. After six and a half years in charge, there is no doubt that Arteta has raised Arsenal's floor to a point where they are in the mix every single year, and yet since that first half season, there are no trophies to show for the progress that the Basque has made with this team. Trophies aren't everything, but Arsenal are on a dangerous verge of being considered nearly men, and it means that next season, there may have to be some bang to go with the buck. We examine Arteta's performances as a coach in the last few years, as well as the constant upward trajectory that Arsenal have been on, as well as peeking at the uncomfortable truths of modern management and the complications of squad planning when you're in charge of the entire operation. So, is it as simple as win or bust next season for Arteta? Does it matter who comes in during the summer to help them challenge? Or is this simply a project which needs to be given more time given how things have gone so far? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! It's that time of the year where amidst all the trophies being handed out, thoughts turn to who are the frontrunners in the race for the biggest individual prize in the game - France Football's yearly Ballon d'Or. Last year the award came with a whole thunderstorm of controversy, with Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony after Rodri won the top prize over Vinicius Jr. They probably don't need to worry that much this year - we'd be surprised if there were any Los Blancos stars anywhere near the podium - but the absence of both Vini and Rodri from the frontrunners opens up some interesting discussions. We dive deep on where we think the current positionings are for the likes of PSG's Ousmane Dembele, Gigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, as well as Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri - as well as the individual pace-setters like Mo Salah, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane; before we also take a quick look at the Kopa Trophy candidates in Part Three. Before that, there's a return for Things We Love, where Dean discusses a big summer ahead for Arsenal in the transfer market, and Jack takes a quick look at a wonderful season at Balaidos for Celta Vigo, under the stewardship of Claudio Giraldez. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at how Hansi Flick's slightly surprising appointment at Barcelona last summer has turned into a masterstroke, and how the German has immediately brought the Blaugrana back to the top table of European football with a string of youngsters and some of the most exciting attacking football on the continent. There were question marks about Flick after his ill-fated tenure with the German national team, but his record at club level speaks for itself. And yet, when he was appointed at Barcelona to replace Xavi last summer, there were plenty who felt that this could be a step in the wrong direction for a Barcelona side mired in debt and already one step behind fierce rivals Real Madrid, who had just won La Liga and the Champions League, and then gone out and signed Kylian Mbappé, who was widely considered the best player in the world. But Flick took Xavi's possession-orientated philosophy and made it more direct, more streamlined; put his faith in the youngsters emerging from La Masia; and turned good players into superstars - all whilst staying true to his own brand of football and putting perhaps the boldest style of football in Europe on display for all to see. So was this a stroke of luck that the players matched his philosophy, or has the former Bayern treble-winner worked his magic again on another squad willing to do whatever he needs for them to get to the very top? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! We have our Champions League finalists, after PSG joined Inter in the showpiece event by beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Parc des Princes to progress 3-1 on aggregate. The game might not have had the verve and sparkle of Tuesday's semi, but there was plenty to discuss all the same here on UCL Takeaway. Arsenal started fast, but couldn't find the killer blow to leave the tie in the balance - thanks to some particularly impressive goalkeeping once again from Gigi Donnarumma in the PSG net - and then Fabian Ruiz landed a killer jab of his own, striking home from the edge of the box after Arsenal failed to clear a set piece. Vitinha missed a (very harsh) penalty, before Achraf Hakimi made it 2-0 with a striker's finish, and whilst Bukayo Saka pulled one back and Arsenal had their chances to find a leveller, it was Luis Enrique's charges who saw the game out, with no finishing flourish from his former apprentice Mikel Arteta in the other dugout. We discuss the game, as well as where it leaves Arsenal ahead of this summer, whether PSG's transformation into the team we have seen in recent months makes them favourites for the final, whether João Neves is a N'Golo Kante regen, where Arsenal need to upgrade to reach that next level, and loads more besides. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! After one of the most intriguing, exhausting, exhilarating semi-finals that the competition has ever seen, Inter will be in the final after finally dispatching Barcelona with a knockout blow, just moments after they had dragged themselves off the canvas themselves. 4-3 on the night, 7-6 on aggregate, this was one of the best games of football we have seen in many a long year, two sides who just traded punches for 210 minutes until a victory bell was finally rung, in favour of the home side. We discuss the momentum swings of a game that saw Inter take a 2-0 lead, before going down 3-2 with just moments to go, the late equaliser from the most unlikely of sources - Francesco Acerbi - before more drama in added time saw Davide Frattesi once more come up with the goods to send Simone Inzaghi's weathered old warriors to Munich - where they will face one of PSG or Arsenal. There's also some talk about what the future outlook is for a Barcelona side who have come a long way this year, and who perhaps just lacked a tad of experience when it mattered most, as well as why Inter feel like this could be there year to claim a long-awaited European crown - it's been 15 years since that famous night in Madrid. All that, and loads more, including Dean's experience watching Beckham & Friends on Paramount, on the show.It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at the Premier League, and the argument that's been raging on social media as to whether this is a Premier League cast that's strong or weak? On one side, you have the earliest that three teams have been confirmed as relegated in Premier League history, as well as Champions in Liverpool who were crowned in April - but realistically haven't lost control since November. Plus, two traditional powerhouses in Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have languished at the bottom, whilst City's title defence never really got going. A lack of jeopardy, perhaps - but what does that say about the strength of the rest?On the other hand, there's a stronger than ever middle class in the Premier League, able to take points off the big boys on a regular basis. Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham are still scrapping for the final European spot, and each of them have had big name scalps, and possess certain players that their mid-table counterparts in some of the European leagues could only dream of. Surely that suggests this is a stronger class than ever before, especially with 12th-placed Crystal Palace making their way to Wembley for an FA Cup final? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!That was absolutely breathless and chaotic, and so the podcast looking back at it is too. We try our best to get to the bottom of an anarchic game of football between Barcelona and Inter that started fast and got wilder from there, and one that ended with the two teams locked at three goals apiece. We discuss how Inter might well go home the happier side, even if Barcelona had the best of the chances; Lamine Yamal's dazzling performance in Blaugrana; the importance of Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram's returns from injury; why the game played out as it did; how they could possibly replicate it in the second leg; the differing waves of emotion throughout the game - and of course, we rank the goals because that's what we do. There's loads more inside as well, so get stuck in! It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! It's time for Champions League Takeaway here on Ranks FC, and our first episode of the semi-finals, looking back at the game between Arsenal and PSG in North London, where Luis Enrique's side came out the victors, taking a 1-0 win with them back to the Parc des Princes for next week's second leg. We discuss it all in great detail - looking at a mesmerising first 25 minutes from the Parisiens, as well as the way Arsenal dug themselves back into the game briefly, before PSG spurned some late chances to make their lead much more secure. We talk the role of Declan Rice, the absence of Thomas Partey, a star turn from Myles Lewis-Skelly, the brilliance of João Neves, Ousmane Dembélé's free-role and how he picked up space, as well as the difference in experience between the two managers, the atmosphere and how PSG quietened it down early on, and loads more besides. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Serie A, and examining just how tight the race for the title is between Antonio Conte's Napoli and Simone Inzaghi's Inter - with both teams on 71 points with five games remaining in the league campaign. We discuss the distinct possibility of a playoff game between the two at the end of the season, a one-game shootout to determine who lifts that famous trophy in May.Then there's a deeper dive into both teams - the chaos that seems to always engulf Napoli has gone nowhere under the stewardship of Antonio Conte, with fiery pre-match interviews just the norm at this point in the city on the verges of Vesuvius. But that's sometimes a good thing, and with Scott Francis McTominay banging in important goal after important goal, and Romelu Lukaku leading the Serie A assist charts, you'd have to say it's working. Over in Milan, the Nerazzurri seem to be running out of puff at exactly the wrong point of the season. With their hopes of a treble dashed, is there a chance that they end up trophyless in what had looked to be a historic season in blue and black? Is their incredibly busy schedule catching up with them, and how do they wrest back control? Napoli or Inter? Decided in the normal way or with an extraordinary one-off event? And are the twists and turns done yet in Italy? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! We're well into the final stretch of this domestic season now, and whilst there are many things decided - Bayern and Liverpool are going to win their domestic leagues, for example, and certain relegation fights seem over before they've begun - there is still plenty of drama to be getting stuck into if you know where to look. So consider this episode a little bit of a guide - we start with the fight for European football in the Premier League, from the Champions League all the way down to the Conference League; before turning our attention to the title races in Italy and Spain. We also take a look at the European scraps in both of those leagues, as well as a mad Bundesliga dogfight in the middle of the park for very few European spaces. Jack finishes us off with a little whip round some of the most interesting stories from the relegation dogfights in Spain, Italy and France - including a team who were in the opening stages of the Champions League sleepwalking towards relegation, and Parma's unusual method of attempting to draw themselves to safety. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Real Madrid, and where things have gone wrong for them over the past couple of months. The perennial Champions League winners are out of the competition they love most, are currently second in La Liga to Barcelona, and whilst they are in a Copa del Rey final, they face off against Barça there too - who they've routinely struggled to contain all season long. We examine the hand that Carlo has been dealt - with squad building and injuries playing a key role - and question whether it's his fault that this squad stacked full of talent just isn't clicking right now. We also take a look at the potential contenders to succeed him, as well as what might be next on the agenda for Ancelotti if he does depart the Bernabeu this summer. Has Carlo been given an impossible hand to play, or is he justifiably at fault for the struggles of his team this year? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's time for this week's second Champions League Takeaway - looking back at Wednesday's Quarter Final second legs, where Arsenal and Inter were able to maintain their first leg advantages to progress to the semi-finals, but in very different circumstances. Dean is back in San Diego and back in the booth, so we start with Arsenal winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu to knock out the holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate, reaching their first semi-final since 2009 in the process, and starting what could be a long period of self-reflection for Los Blancos. It was a game full of drama, but one which Arsenal controlled, and they were worthy winners both on the night and over the two legs. Then in Part Two, we head to San Siro, where a full-blooded, full-throttle affair between Inter and Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 draw, sending Inter through to the final four with a 4-3 aggregate win. We explore why Inter are so good at getting back up when they've been punched, and how their experience in the dugout helped them see out this tie with another very impressive performance both defensively and offensively. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's time for this week's first Champions League Takeaway - looking back at Tuesday's Quarter Final second legs, where both PSG and Barcelona emerged with qualification intact, but with their reputations bruised and having been handed on-the-night losses by Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, who were both excellent. In the absence of Dean, who is flying back to San Diego, Jack is joined by football podcast royalty in Mike Zimmermann - to talk through both of the games and discuss the ramifications in more detail. We start with Aston Villa's impressive 3-2 win over PSG, where the Parisien favourites were given an almighty scare in the second half by Unai Emery's charges, who managed to break free of PSG's impressive counter-attacking hold after the break, going hell for leather and finding themselves some Gigi Donnarumma magic away from taking Luis Enrique's men to extra time. Then in Part Two, we head to the Westfalenstadion, where Dortmund had very little to lose, but managed to expose the Barcelona high line enough to give the Yellow Wall plenty to shout about. Serhou Guirassy's hat-trick had Barça very worried for a time, and although the Catalans progressed, they were subjected to defeat in a single game for the first time in 2025. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Chelsea, and a slide in form since the turn of the year that has seen them slide from second in the table to being on the brink of falling out of the Champions League places. So what has happened in 2025 to Enzo Maresca's side, and where has the form that saw them exceed all pre-season expectations gone to?We discuss the squad building and some of the quizzical decisions to let players go in January, the fact that Enzo Maresca's Leicester side had a similar second-half slump in the Championship last year, the lack of experience on the pitch in this squad, the injuries that have hurt Chelsea in key areas, the current style being at odds and loads more as we try to get to the bottom of it. Are Chelsea balancing the squad wrong and has Maresca got them in a spin, or is this just a dip in form that they'll come out of the other side of? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's time for this week's second Champions League Takeaway - looking back at Wednesday's Quarter Final first legs, where PSG roared back from 1-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-1 and Barcelona romped to yet another astounding win, routinely dismantling a discombobulated Dortmund 4-0. We start with PSG and wonder if anybody could have held up against the power of their attacking might last night - looking at the emergence of Desire Doué as a bona-fide starter and wonderkid, as well as the devastating directness of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia - before going a bit deeper into a discussion of how Luis Enrique has moulded this club to one in his own image - where the team comes first, but individual brilliance is actively encouraged as well. Then in Part Two it's time to head to Catalunya, to take a deep dive into how Barcelona pretty much killed this tie stone dead in the first leg, breaking a host of records in the process. All three of the front line of Raphinha (controversially), Lamine Yamal, and Robert Lewandowski were on the scoresheet - with Lewy making it 29 goals in 28 games against Dortmund since leaving them in 2014. Ouch. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your late night delivery following the action - looking back at Tuesday's Quarter Finals, where Arsenal blew away Real Madrid in a stunning second half at the Emirates, whilst Inter dispatched Bayern with ruthless efficiency on German soil. We start with the man of the hour - Declan Rice - whose two unbelievable free-kicks handed Arsenal the lead in their tie against Real, putting the Gunners on their way to a 3-0 win that even the most ardent Gooner wouldn't have seen coming. Looking at the game as a whole, we discuss where Arsenal got things right, where Real Madrid got things wrong, the second leg at the Bernabeu, and loads more. Then in Part Two it's time to head to Bavaria to discuss Inter beating Bayern 2-1 at the Allianz, thanks to some clinical finishing from them, some profligate moments from their opponents, and a chaotic ending that saw a goal at each end in the closing two minutes of normal time. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time for The Truth!Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Arsenal and in particular, a big reshuffle in the boardroom that has seen Andrea Berta succeed Edu Gaspar as their Sporting Director. Berta was formerly at Atletico Madrid, forming a (mostly) impressive team with Diego Simeone, and also previously worked at Genoa and Parma in his native Italy. We examine what his record was at Atleti in terms of overseeing signings, discuss which positions and players Arsenal may look to in the summer under his stewardship, and scrutinise how the Manager-SD relationship works at Arsenal in particular with Mikel Arteta. There's a little bit of time too to examine the role of a Sporting Director in the modern game, and look at exactly what falls under their remit, before we round things off. So, is this the appointment that helps steer Arsenal through that final step where they lift a Premier League trophy? Will he mesh with what Arteta wants and needs on the pitch? Or is this simply background shuffles that bark louder than they actually bite? Well, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Dean's back in London, so it's less of a Transatlantic Job this week, but that doesn't mean there's not still plenty to discuss. Today, we're looking at the Champions League Quarter Finalists, but in a slightly different way - examining who the most important player is for each of the eight teams remaining in the competition, from the perspectives of how they've played so far, as well as who is most likely to step up going forward. We take the eight teams in turn ahead of their QF matchups, thinking about star performers across the course of the competition, but also about which player their opposition would remove from these games if they were given a choice to do so - giving us some interesting names and discussions around how we rank players in systems. We finish by trying to pick a top three each, but we found that was a harder task than either of us envisaged to begin with! It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.