It's time for The Truth!

Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at the Premier League, and the argument that's been raging on social media as to whether this is a Premier League cast that's strong or weak?

On one side, you have the earliest that three teams have been confirmed as relegated in Premier League history, as well as Champions in Liverpool who were crowned in April - but realistically haven't lost control since November. Plus, two traditional powerhouses in Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have languished at the bottom, whilst City's title defence never really got going. A lack of jeopardy, perhaps - but what does that say about the strength of the rest?

On the other hand, there's a stronger than ever middle class in the Premier League, able to take points off the big boys on a regular basis. Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham are still scrapping for the final European spot, and each of them have had big name scalps, and possess certain players that their mid-table counterparts in some of the European leagues could only dream of. Surely that suggests this is a stronger class than ever before, especially with 12th-placed Crystal Palace making their way to Wembley for an FA Cup final?

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!

That was absolutely breathless and chaotic, and so the podcast looking back at it is too. We try our best to get to the bottom of an anarchic game of football between Barcelona and Inter that started fast and got wilder from there, and one that ended with the two teams locked at three goals apiece.

We discuss how Inter might well go home the happier side, even if Barcelona had the best of the chances; Lamine Yamal's dazzling performance in Blaugrana; the importance of Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram's returns from injury; why the game played out as it did; how they could possibly replicate it in the second leg; the differing waves of emotion throughout the game - and of course, we rank the goals because that's what we do. There's loads more inside as well, so get stuck in!

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!

It's time for Champions League Takeaway here on Ranks FC, and our first episode of the semi-finals, looking back at the game between Arsenal and PSG in North London, where Luis Enrique's side came out the victors, taking a 1-0 win with them back to the Parc des Princes for next week's second leg.

We discuss it all in great detail - looking at a mesmerising first 25 minutes from the Parisiens, as well as the way Arsenal dug themselves back into the game briefly, before PSG spurned some late chances to make their lead much more secure.

We talk the role of Declan Rice, the absence of Thomas Partey, a star turn from Myles Lewis-Skelly, the brilliance of João Neves, Ousmane Dembélé's free-role and how he picked up space, as well as the difference in experience between the two managers, the atmosphere and how PSG quietened it down early on, and loads more besides.

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 Serie A, and examining just how tight the race for the title is between Antonio Conte's Napoli and Simone Inzaghi's Inter - with both teams on 71 points with five games remaining in the league campaign. We discuss the distinct possibility of a playoff game between the two at the end of the season, a one-game shootout to determine who lifts that famous trophy in May.

Then there's a deeper dive into both teams - the chaos that seems to always engulf Napoli has gone nowhere under the stewardship of Antonio Conte, with fiery pre-match interviews just the norm at this point in the city on the verges of Vesuvius. But that's sometimes a good thing, and with Scott Francis McTominay banging in important goal after important goal, and Romelu Lukaku leading the Serie A assist charts, you'd have to say it's working.

Over in Milan, the Nerazzurri seem to be running out of puff at exactly the wrong point of the season. With their hopes of a treble dashed, is there a chance that they end up trophyless in what had looked to be a historic season in blue and black? Is their incredibly busy schedule catching up with them, and how do they wrest back control?

Napoli or Inter? Decided in the normal way or with an extraordinary one-off event? And are the twists and turns done yet in Italy? 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!

We're well into the final stretch of this domestic season now, and whilst there are many things decided - Bayern and Liverpool are going to win their domestic leagues, for example, and certain relegation fights seem over before they've begun - there is still plenty of drama to be getting stuck into if you know where to look.

So consider this episode a little bit of a guide - we start with the fight for European football in the Premier League, from the Champions League all the way down to the Conference League; before turning our attention to the title races in Italy and Spain. We also take a look at the European scraps in both of those leagues, as well as a mad Bundesliga dogfight in the middle of the park for very few European spaces.

Jack finishes us off with a little whip round some of the most interesting stories from the relegation dogfights in Spain, Italy and France - including a team who were in the opening stages of the Champions League sleepwalking towards relegation, and Parma's unusual method of attempting to draw themselves to safety.

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 Real Madrid, and where things have gone wrong for them over the past couple of months. The perennial Champions League winners are out of the competition they love most, are currently second in La Liga to Barcelona, and whilst they are in a Copa del Rey final, they face off against Barça there too - who they've routinely struggled to contain all season long.

We examine the hand that Carlo has been dealt - with squad building and injuries playing a key role - and question whether it's his fault that this squad stacked full of talent just isn't clicking right now. We also take a look at the potential contenders to succeed him, as well as what might be next on the agenda for Ancelotti if he does depart the Bernabeu this summer.

Has Carlo been given an impossible hand to play, or is he justifiably at fault for the struggles of his team this 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!

It's time for this week's second Champions League Takeaway - looking back at Wednesday's Quarter Final second legs, where Arsenal and Inter were able to maintain their first leg advantages to progress to the semi-finals, but in very different circumstances.

Dean is back in San Diego and back in the booth, so we start with Arsenal winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu to knock out the holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate, reaching their first semi-final since 2009 in the process, and starting what could be a long period of self-reflection for Los Blancos. It was a game full of drama, but one which Arsenal controlled, and they were worthy winners both on the night and over the two legs.

Then in Part Two, we head to San Siro, where a full-blooded, full-throttle affair between Inter and Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 draw, sending Inter through to the final four with a 4-3 aggregate win. We explore why Inter are so good at getting back up when they've been punched, and how their experience in the dugout helped them see out this tie with another very impressive performance both defensively and offensively.

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!

It's time for this week's first Champions League Takeaway - looking back at Tuesday's Quarter Final second legs, where both PSG and Barcelona emerged with qualification intact, but with their reputations bruised and having been handed on-the-night losses by Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, who were both excellent.

In the absence of Dean, who is flying back to San Diego, Jack is joined by football podcast royalty in Mike Zimmermann - to talk through both of the games and discuss the ramifications in more detail.

We start with Aston Villa's impressive 3-2 win over PSG, where the Parisien favourites were given an almighty scare in the second half by Unai Emery's charges, who managed to break free of PSG's impressive counter-attacking hold after the break, going hell for leather and finding themselves some Gigi Donnarumma magic away from taking Luis Enrique's men to extra time.

Then in Part Two, we head to the Westfalenstadion, where Dortmund had very little to lose, but managed to expose the Barcelona high line enough to give the Yellow Wall plenty to shout about. Serhou Guirassy's hat-trick had Barça very worried for a time, and although the Catalans progressed, they were subjected to defeat in a single game for the first time in 2025.

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?