The Truth: Is Simone Inzaghi the Most Underrated Manager in the World?

It's a big week in football, and a big week for the podcast - and whilst Lionel Messi might have left Spain, there is still so much to be excited about in this season's La Liga season, which promises to be the most competitive in a long time.We start off with the title race, examining holders Atléti, solid but unspectacular Real Madrid and the house fire that is Barcelona ahead of the big kick-off; and talk through who the favourites are and how all three will look to make sure this season matters most to them.From there, we bring in some expert help - Spanish football expert and ESPN Editor David Cartlidge joins us to talk through some of the storylines you need to be keeping an eye out for this season - including Espanyol's charge from the Segunda to the Top 10, Granada's future, some underdog relegation shouts, and the chasing pack in the European Spots.We dial in on that chasing pack to finish - talking through what we're expecting from Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Jack's beloved Real Betis this season, and how they can close the gap on the top three in a year like no other. It's Ranks!If you've loved this week with it's extra episodes, and you want to be in with a chance of winning a football shirt of your choice, why not come and join the Ultras over on our Patreon - the best community in football! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

13 Elo 202157min

Well, we're all systems go on the Premier League, which begins in earnest this Friday as Arsenal take on newcomers Brentford in the curtain-raiser. We're here to take a look at just how we think things are going to pan out this season - from title contenders to survival hopefuls, European dreamers to mid-table slumpers and everything else you might need to know. Sam breaks the table down into five clusters, before we discuss how we think the Top Four will shake out.And, given the new season has begun, there's just enough time for the return of Melon of the Week, where a certain card-happy pre-season referee takes the first Melon of 21/22, and a Gibberish Ranking, where Sam raises the three changes he would make to improve the Olympic Games. It's Ranks!If you want to join our FPL League ahead of the new season, the link is here.And if you've enjoyed our taster week and want to join the Ultras permanently, we'd love to have you over on Patreon for two extra episodes a week, the chance to ask your questions in the Postbox, access to the Ranks Discord and our Torcida Newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

11 Elo 20211h 4min

Hello Rank Squad!It's a special week here on Ranks, where we're giving you a wee glimpse into what life is like as part of our Ultras community over on Patreon, where we do two extra episodes a week. The first of these is the Monday Postbox, where we break down the best (and worst) weekend's action across Europe and beyond, answering your questions on what went down in the world of football . Here's what's inside today's postbox.MESSI —How can PSG fit all these players into the same side?—Where does the defending come from if it's Messi/Hakimi down the right?—Short and long-term planning in Paris—Is this the mark of Ligue 1's rise to prominence—How do Barcelona look without Messi?—Reaction to Joan Gamper trophy, Memphis, Collado and beyondFRANCE—What a brilliant opening weekend—Monaco, Nice, Lille and Rennes all held—Brilliant Marseille are the most fun team around—PSG's second string against an impressive Troyes side—Lille haven't lost the spirit of last season's campaign!ENGLAND—Chelsea, Lukaku and what constitutes success—Who are the main contenders for the Champions League?—Lautaro, Tottenham, Arsenal and the battle for his signature—Christian Romero and who would be his best partner—Kane's return to training and the tricky situation—Arsenal's pursuit of James Maddison—Are City better than last season with Grealish in for Bernardo & Aguero?—Who will be the first manager to get the boot this year?ITALY—The mercurial rise and fall of Inter—Does Inter's breakdown mean the league loses its edge?—AC Milan: Will they try and play Giroud & Zlatan together?—Demiral to Atalanta - potentially a brilliant bit of business—Mourinho, red cards, and the passion alive at RomaRANDOM—If you could pick one manager in the world to be right now, who would it be?—Celtic, Rangers, Kyogo Furuhashi and is there a title race in the SPL?—Christine Sinclair and the Gold Medal she deserved—Harvey Elliott and fighting for a first team start—Neil Warnock, the Championship and Fulham getting kicked to deathIf you like what you hear, and you fancy coming to get involved on a permanent basis, we'd love to have you - you can find us over here.We'll see you on Wednesday for our full Premier League Preview and on Friday, where we look ahead to the La Liga campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

9 Elo 20211h 3min

Like clockwork, we are days away from the start of the return of domestic football in Europe's Big 5, with Monaco taking on Nantes in the Ligue 1 curtain raiser this Friday night. It's like there was no break at all! With that in mind, it's time for us to preview both the French and German leagues, with Germany's DFB-Pokal starting this weekend as well to kick things off.In France, we take a look at PSG's summer squad booster and discuss who is able to challenge Les Parisiens for the throne, discussing Monaco, Nice, Marseille and Lille as serious contenders for the crown; before we're joined by Alex Collings to talk through three other Ligue 1 storylines you can't miss—Rennes' dynamic wing duo, the emergence of Troyes under the City Football Group, and Lyon's season under the effervescent Peter Bosz.Then it's across the Rhine to Germany, where there's been a merry-go-round of managers in the Bundesliga. Bayern, whilst dominant, have a couple of teams circling for a potential slip-up under the new stewardship of Julian Nagelsmann - so we discuss the Bavarians alongside Marco Rose's Borussia Dortmund and Jesse Marsch's RB Leipzig. Then, Jasmine Baba joins us to talk through Wolfsburg's potentially problematic manager situation, Hertha Berlin's rollercoaster rebuild taking a new turn, and Borussia Mönchengladbach's potential under Adi Hütter.It's Ranks!If you'd like to vote for us in the FCA Awards, we'd love you forever. The voting is here and takes just a couple of seconds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

4 Elo 20211h 24min

In a summer dominated by international football, there was always going to be a few transfers that didn't get the love that they perhaps deserve. We're here to set that straight for you - talking everything from Leipzig's new goal machine up top and Brighton's 'computer' in the middle to the Nice Revolution and Leeds' flying full-back acquisition.There's also a return for Things We Love, where Dean discusses how important Raphael Varane could be for Manchester United, Sam talks through the absolute chaos that has been the football at the Olympics so far, and Jack waxes lyrical about how Marseille have been quietly picking up some very clever deals and steals under new boss Jorge Sampaoli.It's Ranks!If you'd like to vote for us at the Football Content Awards, in either the International Podcast or the New Content Creator category, you can do so using this link. We'd love it if you could!And you can submit your Blue Wire Hustle application here: http://bwhustle.com/join Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

28 Heinä 202148min

Oh, you thought this summer's international football was finished? Think again! The Olympic Games start this week in Tokyo and there's a host of football to be played between some very exciting squads. We're joined by the excellent Joe Donnohue of Scouted Football and Leeds Live to talk through the best narratives, the top teams in contention for the gold medal and some squads that we're excited about watching as we build up to a tournament which Neymar lifted for Brazil last time out!Before that, Jack pours some out for the Gold Cup, which has been brilliant entertainment in the most part, with a couple of drab 1-0's for the Baby USMNT aside, and dishes out some love for Jamaica's all-sorts-of-fun Reggae Boyz squad, a patchwork quilt of some of the Championship's finest players.It's Ranks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

21 Heinä 20211h 5min

Well, there we have it. EURO 2020, done and dusted, and Roberto Mancini's young, bold and brazen Italy side took home the trophy by beating Gareth Southgate's resilient Three Lions on penalties, but England should be commended for taking the best side in the competition the full distance.In our final Euros episode, Sam and Jack take a look back through the best players in this years competition, ranking them on their performances; before Dean subs in to talk through the highs and lows of being part of a strange but wonderful tournament at Wembley.Finally, there's a quick spin through our favourite games, moments and Teams of the Tournament to round such a wonderful month of football off. It's been emotional. It's Ranks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

14 Heinä 20211h 21min

Well, four have become two and Italy and England will face off in the EURO 2020 final at Wembley on Sunday having seen off the challenges of Spain and Denmark respectively, both over 120 minutes; although Mancini's boys also needed the penalty lottery and some big boy moves from Giorgio Chiellini to book their spot.We're joined by Muhammad Butt, Chief Writer at Squawka, to look back through two very different but equally entertaining semis, starting with England's win over Denmark, and how the Three Lions managed to secure their place in a major tournament final for the first time in 65 years; and then heading over to one of the games of the tournament in Italy vs. Spain, where two midfields did battle in a viewing experience from the ages.From there, it's eyes on the final - three reasons England should be confident, three reasons Italy should be confident and of course, a couple of predictions for good measure. It's Ranks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 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.

8 Heinä 20211h 23min