It's time for The Truth!

Today, Sam and Dougie are looking at where Arsenal find themselves right now - and whether there is complete faith in Mikel Arteta to make them take that next step to winning serious silverware.

After six and a half years in charge, there is no doubt that Arteta has raised Arsenal's floor to a point where they are in the mix every single year, and yet since that first half season, there are no trophies to show for the progress that the Basque has made with this team. Trophies aren't everything, but Arsenal are on a dangerous verge of being considered nearly men, and it means that next season, there may have to be some bang to go with the buck.

We examine Arteta's performances as a coach in the last few years, as well as the constant upward trajectory that Arsenal have been on, as well as peeking at the uncomfortable truths of modern management and the complications of squad planning when you're in charge of the entire operation.

So, is it as simple as win or bust next season for Arteta? Does it matter who comes in during the summer to help them challenge? Or is this simply a project which needs to be given more time given how things have gone so far? 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 that time of the year where amidst all the trophies being handed out, thoughts turn to who are the frontrunners in the race for the biggest individual prize in the game - France Football's yearly Ballon d'Or.

Last year the award came with a whole thunderstorm of controversy, with Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony after Rodri won the top prize over Vinicius Jr. They probably don't need to worry that much this year - we'd be surprised if there were any Los Blancos stars anywhere near the podium - but the absence of both Vini and Rodri from the frontrunners opens up some interesting discussions.

We dive deep on where we think the current positionings are for the likes of PSG's Ousmane Dembele, Gigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, as well as Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri - as well as the individual pace-setters like Mo Salah, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane; before we also take a quick look at the Kopa Trophy candidates in Part Three.

Before that, there's a return for Things We Love, where Dean discusses a big summer ahead for Arsenal in the transfer market, and Jack takes a quick look at a wonderful season at Balaidos for Celta Vigo, under the stewardship of Claudio Giraldez.

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 how Hansi Flick's slightly surprising appointment at Barcelona last summer has turned into a masterstroke, and how the German has immediately brought the Blaugrana back to the top table of European football with a string of youngsters and some of the most exciting attacking football on the continent.

There were question marks about Flick after his ill-fated tenure with the German national team, but his record at club level speaks for itself. And yet, when he was appointed at Barcelona to replace Xavi last summer, there were plenty who felt that this could be a step in the wrong direction for a Barcelona side mired in debt and already one step behind fierce rivals Real Madrid, who had just won La Liga and the Champions League, and then gone out and signed Kylian Mbappé, who was widely considered the best player in the world.

But Flick took Xavi's possession-orientated philosophy and made it more direct, more streamlined; put his faith in the youngsters emerging from La Masia; and turned good players into superstars - all whilst staying true to his own brand of football and putting perhaps the boldest style of football in Europe on display for all to see.

So was this a stroke of luck that the players matched his philosophy, or has the former Bayern treble-winner worked his magic again on another squad willing to do whatever he needs for them to get to the very top? 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 have our Champions League finalists, after PSG joined Inter in the showpiece event by beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Parc des Princes to progress 3-1 on aggregate. The game might not have had the verve and sparkle of Tuesday's semi, but there was plenty to discuss all the same here on UCL Takeaway.

Arsenal started fast, but couldn't find the killer blow to leave the tie in the balance - thanks to some particularly impressive goalkeeping once again from Gigi Donnarumma in the PSG net - and then Fabian Ruiz landed a killer jab of his own, striking home from the edge of the box after Arsenal failed to clear a set piece.

Vitinha missed a (very harsh) penalty, before Achraf Hakimi made it 2-0 with a striker's finish, and whilst Bukayo Saka pulled one back and Arsenal had their chances to find a leveller, it was Luis Enrique's charges who saw the game out, with no finishing flourish from his former apprentice Mikel Arteta in the other dugout.

We discuss the game, as well as where it leaves Arsenal ahead of this summer, whether PSG's transformation into the team we have seen in recent months makes them favourites for the final, whether João Neves is a N'Golo Kante regen, where Arsenal need to upgrade to reach that next level, 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?

Hello Rank Squad!

After one of the most intriguing, exhausting, exhilarating semi-finals that the competition has ever seen, Inter will be in the final after finally dispatching Barcelona with a knockout blow, just moments after they had dragged themselves off the canvas themselves.

4-3 on the night, 7-6 on aggregate, this was one of the best games of football we have seen in many a long year, two sides who just traded punches for 210 minutes until a victory bell was finally rung, in favour of the home side.

We discuss the momentum swings of a game that saw Inter take a 2-0 lead, before going down 3-2 with just moments to go, the late equaliser from the most unlikely of sources - Francesco Acerbi - before more drama in added time saw Davide Frattesi once more come up with the goods to send Simone Inzaghi's weathered old warriors to Munich - where they will face one of PSG or Arsenal.

There's also some talk about what the future outlook is for a Barcelona side who have come a long way this year, and who perhaps just lacked a tad of experience when it mattered most, as well as why Inter feel like this could be there year to claim a long-awaited European crown - it's been 15 years since that famous night in Madrid.

All that, and loads more, including Dean's experience watching Beckham & Friends on Paramount, on the show.

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 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?