Avsnitt
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Hello Rank Squad!
Something a little bit different today, and we hope you'll find it as fun a listen as we found it to record. Dean put together a list of seven potential rule changes that he thought could improve the game of football immediately - we discussed everything from stopped clocks to goalkeeping handballs over the course of a manic main ranking.
We also took some suggestions from our brilliant Patreon community in part three, chatting through some of the best (and worst) suggestions that came in via our brilliant community!
Before that though, there was some love for both the Manchester City documentary and how it was shedding light on the title race in the Premier League, and the wild race for promotion in the Championship, which took centre stage over the Easter weekend.
It's Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
It's time for us once again to turn to a positional ranking - having covered the best centre-backs and centre-midfielders in the game, we're switching our attention to wingers, wide forwards and those stars who shine the brightest on the flanks.
Again, we'll be splitting it into categories - this time shearing the ranking down the lines of those who play on the right and the left, and examining both with a top five and some honourable mentions. There's one particular player at the end too, who doesn't quite fit naturally into either space - so he gets his own little chat!
In Things We Love, we spend a bit of time talking about Endrick, who scored his first senior goal for Brazil against England at the weekend, and also produced a beautiful interview with The Player's Tribune following that in which he described his road to the top of the game; and also Vinicius Jr, who gave an incredibly powerful interview of his own ahead of the game between Spain and Brazil, set up to try and combat the racial abuse he's received in stadiums around the country.
We finish as ever with a bit of Guru Wisdom, and the final part of a run of helping find new teams to support for people, before we start to mix things up again in the final segment.
It's Ranks!
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?
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Hello Rank Squad!
It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.
This is the segment on the USMNT's 2-0 victory over Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League, marking three times in a row that Gregg Berhalter's side have won the competition - with a performance that was a night and day contrast from the US' struggles against Jamaica in midweek.
We discussed what that means for this team going forward, the issues with chanting from fans that saw the game paused whilst the offenders were removed, Tyler Adams' brilliant goal and impact as a whole, what the midfield will look like going into the Copa America, Antonee Robinson, the future of Santi Gimenez, and a whole lot more.
The full episode is here!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
And...breathe. After the drama of the last few weeks across so many different competitions, men's club football has come screeching to a halt for the last international break of this season, which gives us a chance to take stock and examine all the drama to come.
Let's be real - there's so much drama to come. We've picked out five different elements that we think could provide the most heart-racing finishes to the season - starting at the top of the Premier League table, and then racing through the Champions League fights in Italy, Spain and Germany, the Serie A relegation scrap, the title race in Portugal, and the fight for promotion (and survival) in the Championship.
There's also time for a new Guru Wisdom, in which we reveal what Ellis did with our suggestions for a new club to follow last week, before helping out a new Rank Squad member this week as he searches for teams to follow in England and France.
It's Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.
This is the segment on Manchester United's win over Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag's side coming from behind in extra time to end Jurgen Klopp's farewell quadruple dream - there will be no more stops at Wembley on the Goodbye Tour.
We discussed how important that is for Ten Hag's chances of remaining as Manchester United manager next year as INEOS take full sporting control of the club, the influence of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, whether Klopp made some mistakes in his midweek rotations and substitutions, and a whole lot more.
The full episode is here!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the last four games of the Round of 16 stage, which took place across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Atletico Madrid's defeat of Inter on penalties - discussing how much braver Atléti were in possession today, why it's a shame that one of these two sides had to exit the competition so early, and how Inter's game plan was well considered, but badly executed; as well as Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over PSV - talking Jadon Sancho's return to flying form, the influence of the eternal Marco Reus off the bench, and questioning how PSV didn't put the ball in the back of the net.
Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Arsena's dramatic penalty win over Porto through the lens of Mikel Arteta trusting his process, how David Raya came of age on a big night at the Emirates, and how the visitors were smart and streetwise, and why it's important for Arsenal to have come away with the win; before finishing with a discussion of Barcelona's 3-1 triumph over Napoli via talk of Barcelona's new-found intensity and why the crowd were so important, how Napoli might have missed a golden chance to taste European glory in the last two years, and why Barça's future is bright with Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal all having huge games.
It’s Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
It's a Champions League week, so we thought it could be fun to throw up something a bit more evergreen whilst still linking into the action, so we're here to rank our favourites of a very exclusive list.
We walk through the top 20 goal scorers in European Cup & Champions League History - which Erling Haaland has just catapulted himself into - and each pick out our three favourites from the list, based on our own personal criteria.
Before that, we have a quick look at the evolving situation at Liverpool where the post-Klopp era is starting to get some structure, and what that means for the managerial merry-go-round in the summer.
And of course, there's a Guru Wisdom, where this week we're helping Ellis to find himself a Premier League club.
It's Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
Champions League Takeaway returns, as we take a look at the games that saw the first four teams book their spots in the quarter finals of the UCL.
We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Leipzig - discussing why Leipzig will see this is a massive opportunity missed, how Real Madrid got away with one without anyone in the box, and a look at the big name midfield struggling with dynamism with Fede Valverde out wide; as well as City's 3-1 win over Copenhagen - talking the depth of City's bench being absolutely outrageous, why Copenhagen should look back at this campaign with immense pride, and how this was in many ways the perfect game for City between two massive Premier League clashes.
Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at Bayern's 3-0 win over Lazio at the Allianz which included a whole heap of relief for Thomas Tuchel, a stark reminder of the lasting brilliance of Thomas Muller and Harry Kane, and why performances like this could end up leaving Bayern as dark horses; before finishing with a discussion of PSG's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in San Sebastian - the tactical nous of Luis Enrique, why Anoeta more than deserved its goal at the end, and how Kylian Mbappé took the keys and went into fifth gear.
It’s Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
Today we're taking a look at some of the most important and influential players who could be departing the Premier League this summer, for a variety of reasons. We walk through a couple of bona fide Premier League legends, some big names who might be a little bit past their peak right now, and some crucial cogs who could be tempted away by the lure of trophies or bigger names.
From veteran legends at Manchester United and Liverpool, to big parts of Eddie Howe's Newcastle United project, to regular forwards at Tottenham and Chelsea - there's some stories and insight here that you will not want to miss.
Before that, we get stuck into the bones of the Premier League title race and the new format for the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League next season, and then in Part Three we're on the hunt for teams for another listener - this time Mitch in North Carolina.
It's Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.
This is the segment on the Manchester Derby, where Phil Foden took centre stage once again to light things up as Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-1 - City's Stockport sensation trumping United's Wythenshawe wizard on a day where two academy products scored brilliant goals for their respective sides.
We discussed Foden's importance to this City side, his place right now in the POTY and Ballon d'Or debates, how United's tactics dissolved into a lack of cohesive plan in the second half, where Foden and Rashford sit in Gareth Southgate's England set up, and much more.
The full episode is here!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
You've been asking for more specific rankings, so we took it upon ourselves to deliver - this week's episode takes a look at the players across Europe who play in the centre of the park, and tries to rank them as to who's the best in the business - across three categories: Defensive Midfield, Attacking Midfield, and good old Central Midfield.
It ignites a few strong debates - both as to who fits into what category, and which players should make our respective podiums, but we discuss pretty much all of the big names across Europe's Five Major Leagues and beyond.
There's also another Club-finding episode of Guru Wisdom. After the success of last week's hunt for Chris' new clubs, Aidan got in touch to ask if we could find him a club to support in Serie A - based on his criteria. We did our best to help!
It's Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
We wanted to share with you an excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, on which we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.
This is the segment on the Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, where Virgil van Dijk's late header got Jurgen Klopp's farewell trophy tour off to the perfect start. We discuss the difference between the two sides, the importance of club culture and buy-in, where Pochettino got his in-game management wrong, the performances of VVD, Kelleher and Wataru Endo, and much more.
The full episode is here!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the second set of First Leg Round of 16 fixtures across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Porto - discussing the significance of Porto's gameplan halting Arsenal's goal rampage, the remaining question marks over Arsenal's comparative infancy back in the competition, and Wenderson Galeno making up for a horror miss with a wondergoal; as well as Napoli's 1-1 draw with Barcelona - talking two teams that are both lacking confidence and spark, the impact of the big-name Number 9s who both got on the scoresheet, and the size of the job that new manager Francesco Calzona has on his hands in Naples.
Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – looking at PSV's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund through the lens of a slightly fortunate penalty call for the hosts, the impact of Donyell Malen against his former club, and PSV's chances and fluidity in attack; before finishing with a discussion of Inter's 1-0 win over Atleti via the relentless nature of this Inter side, why Atleti need to be braver in midfield if they want to turn this around, and how Inter are probably the form team in the competition right now and should be classed as one of the favourites.
It’s Ranks!
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
This week, we've decided enough time has passed for us to examine the deals that took place in the summer, and see which clubs made the best value signings before this season started. We kick things off in England, where Dean discusses a midfielder who ended up at West Ham United, Tottenham's goalkeeping sensation, and the man who makes it all tick for Aston Villa, as well as some other honourable mentions.
Then it's off on a roadtrip around Europe - a brisk journey through Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands to dive into the deals that maybe have slipped under your radar - but very much the ones where the player's value is far greater (or has the potential to be) than what their new clubs paid for their services.
And finally, in Part Three, it's a bit of a different twist on Guru Wisdom. We've received a distress call from Chris in New Jersey, who is a football fan, but hasn't settled on what teams he wants to attach himself (and his partner) to. With a strict list of requirements, we do our best to help Chris in his quest for a club.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
MLS is back this week, and we wanted to pay homage to that fact by dropping a special preview show as a bonus episode. Ranks FC MLS Correspondent Owen Murray joins Jack live from the West Coast to give you a brief lowdown on what you need to know ahead of the season beginning on Thursday.
We discuss the teams who have made the smartest moves in this off-season, as well as those who might stagnate this year after a lack of movement, before giving a snapshot of the outlook from the beginning of the campaign, our favourite signings across the league in the transfer window, and finish with a little chat about some of the best kits that will grace pitches across the States in 2024.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the first Knockout games of the season - across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights!
We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Bayern's loss to Lazio - talking Lazio's defensive doggedness giving them a real chance, Bayern's lack of ability to get their most crucial players into the game, and why regardless of league form, a loss here could be the end of Thomas Tuchel's tenure; before discussing PSG's win over Real Sociedad through the lens of PSG's incredible strength in depth, La Real's toothlessness in front of goal of late, and how PSG's midfield is exceptional when they can dominate games.
Then in Part Two, we take a look at Tuesday – talking Real Madrid's win over Leipzig - touching on why Leipzig can count themselves unlucky, how Aurelien Tchouameni is in danger of being permanently relocated to centre-back, and the magic that Brahim Diaz possesses when he's given the creative keys to the team; as well as City's win over Copenhagen - looking at how the winter break affected the Danish side, why Bernardo Silva somehow still remains criminally underrated, and why City aren't perfect yet, but edging closer.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
There's a few big managerial vacancies opening up this summer - Barcelona and Liverpool in particular - and there's also signs that there could be openings at Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Juventus and more.
So we decided to take a look at five managers who have had impressive campaigns, and who might be on the wishlists of a few of Europe's giants - Sebastian Hoeneß at VfB Stuttgart, Thiago Motta at Bologna, Michel at Girona, Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP, and Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverksen - to see how they've become so in-demand, and which potential destinations are suitable for what they're trying to do.
Before that, there's Things We Love, where Dean discusses this weekend's game between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, whilst Jack waxes lyrical about the joy of AFCON 2023 and the narrative arc of Côte D'Ivoire's Zombie Elephants campaign, where they came back from the brink to be crowned Champions of Africa.
And in Guru Wisdom, Dean ruminates on a tweet he saw recently which has been stuck in his brain, examining the potential for a TV series that puts an internet theory to the test.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
The January window has been and gone, and it's time to turn our attention to the return of continental European football - with the Champions League returning next week. We break down our rankings of every team in the competition and their chances of lifting that famous trophy in May, starting with outsiders Copenhagen and working our way through to the big hitters - holders Manchester City, record winners Real Madrid, beaten 2023 finalists Inter, and German powerhouses Bayern Munich, as well as discussing the best of the rest - PSG, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Barcelona, Dortmund, Napoli, Porto, Real Sociedad, RB Leipzig, Porto and Lazio.
Jack also gives you a little nudge in the direction as to which games are the ones you shouldn't be missing, whilst before we dig into the UCL, we have a discussion about the announcement of 2026 World Cup venues and the utter madness that is going to unfold over the summer across the USA, Mexico and Canada.
And finally, Dean gives us a little update on his temporary solo parenting situation; and Guru Wisdom revolves around the lessons he's learned over the past few days.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
The January transfer window has SLAMMED SHUT, so we thought it was an opportune time to take a look back through the deals that went down, even in a quiet window; and pick out our favourite ones.
Dean picks three deals from the Premier League - Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest, Timo Werner to Tottenham Hotspur, and Claudio Echeverri to Manchester City ; whilst Jack heads to the continent to discuss Borja Iglesias to Bayer Leverkusen, Yerson Mosquera to Villarreal, and Arthur Vermeeren to Atletico Madrid.
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?
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Hello Rank Squad!
This transfer window has been a funny one across the board in many ways - we've seen the Premier League's financial dominance of the market fall by the wayside, and a quieter one all round take place across Europe. So, in regards to that, we've decided to eschew our usual Deadline Day preview episode in favour of something looking a bit further forward - to working out who could be the next player to break the nine-figure-mark in terms of a transfer fee.
For our main ranking this week, we discuss the effect that Kylian Mbappé moving for free could have on the market, as well as putting forward cases for Marcus Rashford, Rafael Leão, Mohamed Salah, Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.
We haven't forgotten about Deadline Day entirely though - Part One is a discussion of why this January market has been such a quiet one, and what it means for the complexities of the transfer market looking forwards, as well as discussing a few of the deals that could happen over the coming days.
And Part Three's Guru Wisdom allows us to take a deeper insight as to what the phone activity of a Transfer Guru looks like in the final week of a transfer window - as Dean reveals the numbers and statistics that Apple have kindly revealed to him, and what they might mean.
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?
- Visa fler
