Champions League Takeaway: The Return of the Chaos!

Hello Rank Squad!The Premier League is back this weekend, and so it's time for it to get the Ranks Preview treatment.Dean and Jack start by taking a look at Champions Manchester City and whether they've regressed or progressed this summer, before discussing the teams that will look to challenge their dominance. We discuss Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle in terms of whether they can dethrone Pep's sky blue juggernaut.Then in Part 2, we look at the European race in a wider context, discussing Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Brighton's summer business, as well as discussing if we thing a rogue contender like Bournemouth could be in the mix.Finally, there's a look at the newly promoted sides, Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United, and then a brief ranking on which teams might be in that relegation battle - Wolves, Everton, West Ham and Nottingham Forest were all in there last season, but could Fulham, Brentford or Crystal Palace get dragged in too?To join our FPL League, here's the code!It's Ranks!If you'd like more from the Rank Squad, including transfer episodes all summer, our weekly Postbox episode, and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? 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 Aug 20231h 6min

Hello Rank Squad!It's the third instalment of our League Previews series, and today we're off to France to talk all things Ligue 1! We start with a deep dive into everything that's been going on at PSG this summer, as Jack is joined in Part 1 by Peter Rutzler of The Athletic to look at the new manager, the incomings, the outgoings, and the general feeling around Kylian Mbappé and Neymar right now. Then in Part 2, Luke Entwistle, Senior Editor at Get French Football News, joins the show to talk the best of the rest and beyond. We discuss the summers and prospects of Marseille, Rennes, Monaco, Lille, Lens, Lyon and Nice, as well as taking a look at a few of last season's survivors who might be in trouble again, and a peek at the newly promoted sides too. It's Ranks!If you'd like more from the Rank Squad, including transfer episodes all summer, our weekly Postbox episode, and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? --Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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.

7 Aug 20231h 6min

Hello Rank Squad!It's the second episode in our League Previews series, and this time it's a double bill as we focus on both the Eredivisie in the Netherlands and the Primeira Liga in Portugal!We start on the Iberian Peninsula, where old friend Zach Lowy joins us to talk through Benfica, Porto and Sporting's summers, as well as focusing on Braga's breakthrough into the Big Three and how their business could be the best of the lot. Then we move on to the Netherlands, where we're joined by Michael Statham of Football Oranje to talk Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV's contrasting transfer windows, and the challenge to the traditional big three posed by both AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente. It's Ranks!If you'd like more from the Rank Squad, including transfer episodes all summer, our weekly Postbox episode, and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? --Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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 Aug 20231h

Hello Rank Squad!With pre-season in full swing it's time to start gearing up for the season proper to start again and we've decided to give first billing to Spain in our season preview series! We talk all things La Liga - starting with a deep dive on the two Clasico sides vying for the Spanish crown in Barcelona and Real Madrid, taking a look at the signings brought in this summer, the question of midfield balance, and some thoughts on how they'll line up at the start of the season. Then we move on to the European contenders, taking a look at Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Villarreal, before turning our attention to some teams who look like they might struggle - namely Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Celta Vigo. It's Ranks! If you'd like more from the Rank Squad, including transfer episodes all summer, our weekly Postbox episode, and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? --Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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.

2 Aug 202358min

Hello Rank Squad!We're back to talk about the players who really need a season to go their way - from young guns who need to regrasp their potential to the old guard looking for a last crack at the top, we discuss Raheem Sterling, Heung-Min Son, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kai Havertz, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mané and João Félix.There's also Hot Takes from the Rank Squad, discussing Liverpool's title ambitions, overrated moments in football history, and Chelsea's defensive strength.It's Ranks!If you'd like more from the Rank Squad, including transfer episodes all summer, our weekly Postbox episode, and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? --Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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.

26 Juli 20231h 5min

Hello Rank Squad!With Declan Rice becoming the second most expensive Premier League signing in history, we decided to have a look through the top 10 and cast our eye over what we could learn from the others - from Virgil van Dijk to Enzo Fernandez, and everyone in between. Jack and Dean take a look through the deals that make up those headline purchases, and examine how and why they either succeeded or failed, to get a read on the situation. There's a Things We Love, which discusses the new war of words between the Saudi Pro League and MLS off the back of Cristiano Ronaldo's latest comments, and also some wonderful homecomings made in this transfer window. Plus, Hot Takes returns - this week we hear your views on offsides, net spend, and whether Paul Scholes was better than Zinedine Zidane. It's Ranks!--Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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 Juli 20231h 19min

Hello Rank Squad! The Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand this week, so it felt like the right time for us to delve into everything you need to know about this summer's edition of the tournament. Jack is joined by the brilliant Mina Ibrahim to talk through her three favourites for the competition, three dark horses who could be in with a shout, and a heap of players that you need to watch out for across the tournament as a whole. To keep an eye on all Mina's coverage of the tournament, you can visit her YouTube channel here. It's Ranks!--Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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.

19 Juli 20231h 8min

Hello Rank Squad!Welcome to a very special crossover episode here on Ranks FC, where we bring you our very own Dean Jones in his alternative form - hosting Chasing Green Arrows with the ever-brilliant Gianni Buttice. The boys run through their first drafts for next season's Fantasy Premier League, looking at some of the most exciting options who are sure to catapult you to the top of your friends' leagues in the season to come. It's Ranks! (But not as you know it!) --Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/ranksfcafootballpod1 to save 20% off anything you order. 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 Juli 20231h