Hello Rank Squad!

It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your late night delivery following the action - after another breathless week in the UCL that saw chaos reign across both days. 

We start with Wednesday's action, opening with a discussion of PSG's impressive comeback 4-2 win over Manchester City, which was a much needed European reprieve for Luis Enrique, and another difficult night for Pep Guardiola's charges, who now find themselves outside the qualification spots going into the final matchday. 

Feyenoord hammered Bayern 3-0 despite Vincent Kompany's men having nearly 80% of possession and 26 shots, and we look at why Bayern looked so lethargic in Rotterdam; as well as examining Arsenal's routine dismantling of Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates; and the show that Real Madrid put on to beat RB Salzburg 5-1 in fine style at the Bernabeu. 

There's a roundup of all the rest of Wednesday's football too - Leipzig getting their first UCL win this season against struggling Sporting, Shakhtar keeping their faint hopes alive with a win over surprise package Brest, Celtic finally getting over the line and securing qualification with a 1-0 victory against Young Boys; and wins for both Inter and Milan to push themselves firmly back into Top Eight contention. 

Then in Part Two, we're onto Tuesday's action, which begins with one of the craziest games you'll see all season - as Barcelona came from two goals down to win 5-4 at Benfica, in a game that had absolutely everything - madness, meltdowns, majesty, and all the rest. 

We talk a relatively routine win for Liverpool over Lille that maintained the Reds' perfect record in this competition and kept them top of the table; a vintage Atleti Dark Arts performance which saw them come from a goal and a man down to beat Leverkusen at a fizzing Metropolitano; and Villa's 1-0 loss to Monaco that saw them slip out of the Top Eight and miss a golden chance to keep themselves in the best shape to avoid the playoff round.

Rounding things up, we discuss Bologna's win over Borussia Dortmund in front of an amazing display at the Renato Dall'Ara that saw Nuri Sahin lose his job as Dortmund manager, PSV crawling over the line in the snow in Belgrade as they beat Crvena Zvezda 3-2, five-star Atalanta's excellent display against hapless Sturm Graz, Stuttgart's resurgence as they beat Slovan Bratislava, and another draw for Juve - as they were held 0-0 in Bruges. 

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?

Hello Rank Squad!

We talk a lot about the teams who are outdoing themselves, playing above their means, and taking their rightful flowers for their performances, but there's two sides to every coin. For every Bournemouth, there's a West Ham; for every Mainz, a Borussia Dortmund; and every Athletic Club, a Real Betis. 

We break down the teams who have struggled to meet their expectations across the course of this season - those who have flattered to deceive, those who have fallen well short of their pre-season expectations, and those who have been forced to reconsider their course midway through the campaign. 

Before that, there's time to look at a few more things going on in Europe - the resurgence of Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid form and the fact that all three of the 'Tres Grandes' of Portugal - Sporting, Benfica and Porto - have now changed coaches in the same season for the first time in history. 

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?

It's time for The Truth!

In a move that has somewhat stunned the football world, Napoli's Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has told manager Antonio Conte he wants to leave the Neapolitan club, and is on the brink of a €70m move to PSG, despite the fact that his current side are top of Serie A and challenging for a second title in three seasons. 

So why is this happening, and why is it happening now? We dive deeper into Kvara's story at Napoli - including his adoption as an honorary Neapolitan, and the breathtaking ability that he displayed as he and Victor Osimhen led Gli Azzurri to the 2022/23 league title; as well as his new role under Antonio Conte and some explanations as to why we haven't quite seen the best of the man they call 'Kvaradona' this season. 

There's also a discussion of some off-the-field matters, which include a big portion about the contract that Kvaratskhelia is on in Naples, and questions about why that deal wasn't renewed after he proved his worth almost as soon as hitting the ground; and the treatment and subsequent departure of his old co-pilot Osimhen, which was a messy affair all summer long. 

And, from the PSG side, we look at how this might affect Bradley Barcola, who had such a brilliant first half of this season domestically, and where Kvara fits into a Luis Enrique system. 

So is this move about money, morals, mobility or playing under a coach that best suits the Georgian's style and ability? 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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

We're taking things a little off-piste this week here on Ranks, stepping away from the transfer news that has dominated the headlines (and our recent podcasts) to take a bit of a wider look at the season so far as a whole - and specifically who has put themselves in strong positions to lift trophies at the end of the campaign. 

We start things off by looking back at the final of the Supercopa de España where Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-2 to lift their first silverware of the season, and examining what the performance means for the hopes of both clubs for the rest of this season. It leads us into a discussion around the Champions League and who looks on course to go deep. 

In Part Two, we discuss four of Europe's biggest leagues, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A, and the title races that exist within them; before finishing with a quick look at the Europa League and the Conference League 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?

It's time for The Truth!

We begin 2025 with a look at Atletico Madrid, who might not quite be top of La Liga, but will be if they win their game in hand this weekend - and who, after a very poor start, have transformed themselves into Spanish football's form team.

We examine the transfer work in the summer that laid the groundwork for Atleti to become this season's 'stable club' in Spain, including the additions of Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher, as well as how Diego Simeone's use of substitutes is proving far more effective than any of his competitors so far. 

There are so many hallmarks of a winning Cholo side in what we've seen over the last few months - squad harmony, devilish workrate, tactical flexibiity, and an ability to grind out the results when they need them most. But is this just a good run of form, or could Atleti go all the way this year and finally give Antoine Griezmann the elusive league title that his career so deserves?

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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

We're back on more regular programming and with the transfer window now officially open, we wanted to take a look at the teams who desperately need some market moves to reignite faltering seasons - for one reason or another. Dean takes us through the three Premier League sides who are most in need of squad refreshes during the month of January, whilst Jack peeks in at some of the most interesting things needed in Europe across the board. 

Before that, there's time for us to take a look at two of the more interesting cup games from this week - Newcastle beating Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, and Milan coming from behind to beat Inter in the final of the Supercoppa Italiano in just Sergio Conceição's second game in charge of the Rossoneri. 

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?

Hello Rank Squad and Happy New Year!

We thought we'd kick off 2025 with some forward thinking, with both Dean and Jack looking forward to the new year by examining five things they think will happen over the entirety of the 12 months to come. There's discussions of title winners, transfers, managerial changes, and a whole lot more as we consult our crystal balls to try and predict the future. 

There's also time at the start to look back at some of the Things We Loved at the end of 2024, including Dean's takes on the half way Premier League Team of the Year debate , and Jack's experiences at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day - last time, Chelsea fans, I promise. 

And we finish with a few New Year's Resolutions that we're planning on fulfilling in 2025, both related to football and elsewhere.

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?

It's time for The Truth!

There's been a lot of noise around Kylian Mbappé this season, after his dream move to Real Madrid - mooted for so many years - was finally completed in the summer. But things haven't completely gone to plan for the man that many see as the best player in the world. 

Playing through the middle because Vinicius Jr. plays off his preferred left hand flank, it hasn't been the smoothest of transitions into Los Blancos for the France Captain, but recently things have taken a turn for the better. 

However, questions remain. Can Vini Jr. and Mbappé strike up an understanding that would surely take the world by storm? Will the Frenchman finally accept playing through the middle, after previously stating he didn't like it there? Were the early struggles just teething problems? And how do you get the 'Big Three' of Vini, Mbappé & Jude Bellingham into the same lineup and playing to all their strengths?

 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?

Hello Rank Squad!

We hope you're all enjoying the festive period and that your midwinter festivals - whichsoever they be - are merry and bright! We didn't want to break our almost 5 year streak of not missing a Wednesday drop, so here's a little Christmas Special that the boys threw together for you to enjoy at some point over the next few days. 

We take a look at some of our favourite things across the course of the season so far, picking out players, teams, leagues and managers who have defied expectations, risen above the madness, or just made us smile. 

We're looking forward to seeing you in the New Year, but we hope that whatever you're up to over the next few days, that you have a chance to relax, have some peace and quiet, and enjoy the wintery delights of some December football. 

All our Love,

Jack & Dean 

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?

It's time for The Truth!

Atalanta are currently top of Serie A as we close in on the halfway point of the season. After winning the Europa League last season, the glass ceiling for the club from Bergamo has been well and truly smashed, but can they go one further this year, beat out some giants of the game and claim their first Scudetto?

We examine just how a club from a small city north-east of Milan has turned the Italian football landscape upside down, upsetting the traditional order of Italy's biggest clubs and managed to put together an incredible run of continental qualification under Gian Piero Gasperini, all whilst making a gargantuan profit in the meantime. 

This iteration of Gasperini's disruptors has the potential to be their greatest ever, but can they maintain such blistering league form against the depth of Inzaghi's Inter and a Conte Napoli side that don't have European football to contend with? How has Gasperini turned a bunch of players unwanted elsewhere into one of the best units in the game? And is this finally the time where promise becomes domestic silverware, changing the established order forever?

 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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

There are certain clubs and players who need something new to set their seasons back on track, and the potential for drastic change is just around the corner with the January Transfer Market opening in under two weeks. We take a look at some of the gambles that clubs could take in the market, and whether they might be good enough to save sagging seasons. 

Before that, we examine the interview with Marcus Rashford released on Tuesday by Henry Winter, where he said he was ready for his next challenge. What does that mean? Where does it leave his future at Manchester United? And where could he possibly go in January if that's an option?

Jack also finishes off with a mini ranking of the best football books he's read this year, in case anyone is looking for a couple of gifts to ask for in their Christmas Stocking, to finish things off! 

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?