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?

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?

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?

It's time for The Truth!

Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Juventus - who are currently one point off the Champions League places in Serie A, and have lost three league games all year, but who have just sacked manager Thiago Motta around 300 games into his tenure. 

Very few teams have drawn as many games as Juve this year, and coupled with decisive losses to Fiorentina and Atalanta in Serie A, coupled with disappointing exits to both PSV and Empoli in the Champions League and Coppa Italia respectively, the Bianconeri board have decided to abandon the project and turn to someone a little closer to home in Igor Tudor. 

But was this the right decision? Should they have tried to make a project last a little bit longer than three-quarters of a year? Are things going to go back to the Juventus DNA of Allegri? And is there someone else (Cristiano Guintoli) who should be taking a little bit more of the blame than he currently is? 

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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

On Monday news broke that Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid this summer was close to being completed, with the Liverpool defender seemingly leaving his boyhood club for free at the expiration of his contract this summer, and it got us thinking - who else is in the same category of being on the open market this summer and where could they go?

We start with a discussion of the three Liverpool names that have been in the spotlight all season - Trent, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah - taking a look at who is perhaps most expendable, who is least replaceable, and what we think might play out, especially with Salah and VVD, as well as taking a brief look at some potential replacements. 

Then it's on to some other names - we discuss the futures of Angel Gomes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Leroy Sane, Jonathan David, and young Swedish talent Roony Bardghji - and where they all might be plying their trades next season given the expiration of their current deals at their current homes. 

Jack finishes us off with a few more names to keep an eye on as the deadlines for extensions get closer and closer - Andre Franck Zambo Anguissa of Napoli, Marco Verratti of Al-Arabi - who is being linked with a move back to Europe - Sergio Reguilon of Tottenham Hotspur, and Espanyol captain Javi Puado. 

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!

Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Alexander Isak, who is hot property right now after another stellar campaign with Newcastle United, which culminated in him firing them to Carabao Cup glory at Wembley on Sunday against Liverpool. 

Newcastle are absolutely adamant that their Swedish superstar is going nowhere - and so they should be - but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill going into overdrive about clubs interested in prying him away from Tyneside this summer. So we dig into the numbers, take a look at Newcastle's financial position, examine the words of the people in the know about their business model, and try to work out whether this is bluster or something more concrete. 

We also explore possible destinations for if Newcastle decided that they were going to cash in on their most profitable asset, talking about how Isak would fit at both Liverpool and Arsenal - who are both reported to be very interested - and some alternate options on the continent as well. 

So, will Alexander Isak continue to spearhead the Geordie renaissance as they work their way up the table? Or will his value, a big offer, and a desire to build out the squad mean that he will be playing football elsewhere next 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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

After 70 years domestically, or 54 years across the board, Newcastle United finally got their hands on silverware again this weekend, beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final to end one of the longest trophy droughts in English football, and doing it in some style. Big Danny Burn completed his incredible redemption arc and Alexander Isak got the match-winner as a lifetime of black and white suffering ended at English football's stately home.

We discuss the joy of the celebrations and what Newcastle need to do next to use this as a springboard for future success, before turning our attention to other clubs in with a shot at ending their own barren spells this season. We discuss most of the teams left in the FA Cup, as well as Tottenham Hotspur in our segment on the Premier League clubs, before turning our attention to Europe - where Jack points out opportunities for Bologna, Stuttgart and Fiorentina in particular, as well as long shots for Stade Reims, Go Ahead Eagles and Rio Ave. 

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!

Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at Brighton & Hove Albion, who are having an impressive season - but also one that's been permeated with strange results and odd streaks of form that have been up and down. 

On the verge of the Champions League places, things look pretty good under Fabian Hurzeler, who was brought in from St Pauli at the start of the season, who guided them to their best ever start, before going on an 8-game unbeaten run, then losing 7-0 to Nottingham Forest, and bouncing back with a four game win streak that has them looking well-placed for a return to European football. 

We look at a big summer spending spree, the new additions and how they've fitted in, tactical changes throughout the course of the campaign and where the future lies for a club who have made a habit of hitting the nail on the head with almost everything they've done in recent years. 

Is their Champions League chase an outlier in what has been a weird Premier League season, or should we be expecting the Seagulls' trajectory to keep going firmly in an upward direction? 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?

Hello Rank Squad! 

It's the second of two Champions League Takeaway episodes on the feed this week, with four more games to dissect - headlined by another 120 minutes of madness, this time from Madrid, where Real needed penalties to get the better of Atleti in a game the hosts will feel aggrieved not to have won (we've heard that one before...)

We break down the chaos of the penalty shootout, including Julian Alvarez's disallowed spot kick for a double-touch, examining the rules and what exactly happened; before looking back at the game as a whole and examining some of the individual performances that caught our eye, for good and for bad.

Then in Part Two, we take a look at a heavily rotated Arsenal's 2-2 draw with PSV - it didn't matter, progression was all but guaranteed; Aston Villa's 3-0 win over Club Brugge where Marco Asensio in particular shone once again - what a signing he has been for Unai Emery's men; and a vastly improved display from Borussia Dortmund as they came from a goal behind to beat Lille in France and progress to another quarter final. 

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! 

In a bit of a break from tradition, and after witnessing an absorbing encounter between Liverpool and PSG at Anfield, we decided this week might be a good one to switch things up and discuss the thing everyone will be discussing come Wednesday morning - the action from the Champions League, so this is the first of two UCL Takeaway episodes that will be with you this week. 

We start on Merseyside, where football reminded us it's a funny old game. Liverpool were outmatched in Paris last Wednesday, but came away with a 1-0 win against PSG; but on a night where they gave a far better account of themselves at home, they ended up losing the game 1-0 and being knocked out on penalties. Work that one out. 

We give PSG their due for a mighty performance over two legs, and discuss just how far this very talented side could go in this competition, as well as looking at what Liverpool might have done differently, and where the squad might need to be strengthened to push forwards again next season. 

Then in Part Two, we move over to the rest of the action, dissecting Barcelona's 3-1 win over Benfica where Lamine Yamal and Raphinha set some more records, as well as Pedri's astounding performance in the heart of midfield. We touch on Bayern, who Dean correctly backed in our power ranking episode, and how Leverkusen melted in the heat of the knockout stages; and finish with Inter, who made light work of Feyenoord even with a heavily rotated squad, and who are ticking along nicely in this competition. 

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!

Dougie's back in business with Sam after a well-earned week off and it's a return with a bang as we turn our attention to Manchester United - always a behemoth of a topic, who are currently seemingly locked inside a battle with themselves. After a dreary start to 2025, questions are being asked of Ruben Amorim's stewardship, and if United have actually got worse since he took over. 

Now, to be fair, Amorim himself said when he took the job that things were going to get worse before they got better, but much of the fanbase was expecting more of an uptick in form five months in than what we've seen on the pitch, especially after defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup wiped out one of the two remaining options that United had for silverware this campaign. 

But is that criticism fair? Amorim has struggled to get this squad ticking, but there are mitigating factors - the players are taking some time to adapt to his system (those that can), whilst the most impactful players in this squad have been struck down by injuries just as things were taking an upturn for them. 

Is that enough though, to absolve him of fault? Should United ride out this storm, trust in their new manager and try to build something long term? Or have we already seen enough to suggest that this isn't going to work and that a change is needed before United get bogged down in another cycle not going anywhere? 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?