Champions League Takeaway: Chelsea's Young Guns Fire, Liverpool Bite Back, Spurs Struggle & Real Madrid Eke It

Hello Rank Squad!It’s time to take a look back at some of the most interesting things that we’ve noticed in the new season, and so returning to the fold is our Head Coach, Mr. Harry Brooks, who is here to discuss some of the trends he’s picked up on from a coaching perspective.First off, we get his views on the revolution taking place under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, a club very close to Harry’s heart, and just how Ange is shifting the perspective of Tottenham fans just months into his new regime.Then, it’s onto the main segment, where Harry talks us through five specific concepts that have jumped into the mainframe this season so far. We talk players not being positions, the dangers of over-coaching, the re-emergence of footballing mavericks, the use of data in player analysis, and the judgement of managers for playing (or not playing) out from the back.Finally, Dean and Jack give their thoughts on a spicy take from Rank Squad member Jordan, who things Fede Valverde is going to leave behind one hell of a legacy for both club and country.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? 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.

20 Sep 20231h 8min

Hello Rank Squad!The window is shut, there's been a few games to see how teams look, and it's time to finalise our long-term predictions for this season, which can only mean one thing here on Ranks - it's time for 5x5! And, for a big episode like this, we wanted to make things special, so we've brought back the Rank God Sam Tighe for his first appearance of the new season. The concept is simple - we each pick how we think the top five in England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain are going to look when the curtain falls in May.First, we take a look at what happened last time out, before working through our selections, our thoughts on how a shedload of sides have started their campaigns, and some more questionable bold calls from Jack, hot off his Napoli shout last year. 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? 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 Sep 20231h 11min

Hello Rank Squad!It's time to reflect on the transfer window and the clubs who have come out of it in better shape, in a couple of different ways. First of all, Dean Jones takes a look at the Premier League's Big Seven - Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United - and compares how their business has looked at the end of the window, before taking stock of the true winners of the PL's business this summer. Then, Jack Collins has a peek across the rest of Europe to discuss some other big hitters and how they've fared, including Paris Saint-Germain of Ligue 1, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen of the Bundesliga, Inter and AC Milan of Serie A, Benfica of the Primeira Liga, and Barcelona and Girona from La Liga. There's a new Hot Take from the Rank Squad all about Rafael Leão, before we wrap things up! 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? 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.

6 Sep 20231h 14min

Hello Rank Squad!Welcome back to Champions League Takeaway, the first one of the new season, where we're reacting not to the games that have just taken place, but to the draw for the Group Stages, which threw up all manner of questions and answers. Jack watched the draw live to have a think about things, but Dean gets the draw for the first time on air - so it's the best of both worlds! We talk through each of Groups A-G, including Group F's deathly dangers, some finely balanced second spot races, and how the big guns will fare against their less well-known rivals. 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.

1 Sep 202342min

Hello Rank Squad! We're into the last few days of the transfer window in Europe's top leagues and there's plenty of work still to do in the final hours. We take a look at the biggest storylines left to play out, including Saudi interest in Liverpool's Mo Salah, where Atleti's João Félix might end up, potential exits from Arsenal for Gabriel Magalhães and Emile Smith Rowe, Manchester United's left-back search and if that could lead them to Marc Cucurella, and rumoured Chelsea interest in Barcelona's Raphinha, as well as more things to keep an eye on! There's a return of Things We Love, where Dean waxes lyrical about João Palhinha, who has a serious claim of being the most effective CDM in the Premier League; and Jack looks at an Atletico Madrid start to the season which might have them in the title race conversation. There's also a Hot Take from Rank Squad member Valentin, that leads to a discussion about Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala - remember to send yours in to our Instagram or Twitter if you'd like to be involved!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? 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.

30 Aug 20231h 1min

Hello Rank Squad!Welcome to the Transfer Emergency Room - the show that takes a look at which clubs are in need of severe player transplants ahead of the transfer window closing, if they're going to have any chance of achieving their goals this season.Dean starts us off in the Premier League, where we talk about Manchester United, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool - dissecting the squads to find gaping holes and glaring problems which need to be addressed in the next week or so.Then Jack takes us to the European Continent, taking on the role of Consultant as we analyse Barcelona, Roma, Ajax and Lyon, looking at their needs ahead of the new season and trying to suggest fixes which suit each of the clubs.Finally, there's a return for Hot Takes - where Tommy and Franco set us up with their thoughts on whether Phil Foden is the most talented English player of this generation, and if Houssem Aouar can be Serie A's best midfielder this campaign.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.

23 Aug 20231h 11min

Hello Rank Squad!It’s the final instalment of our League Previews series, and we're headed to Germany to talk all things Bundesliga. Jack is joined by Kevin Hatchard, German football commentator and expert, to talk through the major storylines ahead of the new season.In Part 1 we talk a summer of turmoil at Bayern, and how they might not have things all their own way this season, even with Harry Kane now through the door; before discussing the positives for Marco Rose's DFB-Supercup Champions Leipzig, and last season's runners-up Dortmund, ahead of the new campaign. There's also a discussion of the race for the Champions League, where we examine Union Berlin's big squad, Xabi Alonso's vibey Leverkusen, and a relatively unchanged Freiburg, as well as a brief chat about if Eintracht Frankfurt or Wolfsburg could challenge for those spots. Then in Part 2, we talk about the two new boys - Heidenheim and Darmstadr, and whether they have enough firepower to survive at the top level, as well as taking a little look at who else might be in that relegation struggle, namely Bochum, Augsburg and Hoffenheim.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.

17 Aug 202340min

Hello Rank Squad!It's our penultimate episode in the Preview Series, and we're headed to Italy to take a look at all things Serie A!Dean and Jack start by taking a look at Champions Napoli, and discussing how they'll get on in their title defence after a summer defined by their change of manager from Luciano Spalletti to Rudi Garcia. Then, we assess their main title challengers - in the form of Milan, Inter, Lazio and Juventus.In Part 2, we look at the teams who might be outside chances in that race, especially Roma and Atalanta, before discussing the teams in the hunt for those other European spots - Fiorentina, Bologna, Torino and upwardly-mobile Monza.Finally, there’s a look at the newly promoted sides, Cagliari, Genoa and Frosinone; before a discussion of those teams who might well join them in the relegation scrap - Hellas Verona, Lecce and Empoli - and how things might play out.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.

16 Aug 20231h 9min