Hello Rank Squad!

The January transfer window has closed for another year, and Deadline Day threw up a chaotic bundle of stories to sift through as usual. We examine the final days, and the window as a whole to pull out the most intriguing deals that have piqued our attention for a variety of reasons, and discuss why.

Then, we broaden the lens - taking a look at the most radical business, the most transformative window, and the most restorative action taken across the Premier League, before Jack rounds things off with a quick flick round some of the weird and wonderful things that happened in Europe more generally.

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!

If you look at the top of the Premier League table, you'll see a few of the country's most famous and recently successful clubs in the pack, but you'll also find a previously fallen giant - in the form of Nottingham Forest, and an upstart underdog - in the form of Bournemouth, going toe-to-toe with the big boys.

But how did they do it? What's behind the successes of the Tricky Trees and the Cherries this season, just a few years after promotion from the Championship - how did they turn themselves from relegation battlers or mid-table stalwarts into genuine contenders for European spots at the end of this season?

We take a look at their differing strategies in both the transfer market activity and the tactical sense with which they play, examine which feels more sustainable, and hand out some very well-earned credit to two brilliant managers and two clubs doing things their own way.

Is this a one-off, or is it a model that other clubs could use to find success? Are these high-flying underdogs showing a new way to go about things, or could they be just another one-season wonder? 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 Champions League Takeaway, your late night delivery following the action - after the first ever 'final matchday' of the new League Stage, which saw every single game taking place at the same time.

We start with a look at Manchester City's Great Escape - coming back from 1-0 down (and surefire elimination) to win 3-1 against Club Brugge, and sneak into the Playoff round in incredibly dramatic fashion at the Etihad.

Then we work our way through all the other games, including an end-to-end encounter as Aston Villa beat Celtic 4-2, PSG's blistering 4-1 demolition of Stuttgart, and a 2-2 thriller between Barcelona and Atalanta that might well have been the game of the night.

In Part Two, there's a roundup of all the rest of the action - Ethan Nwaneri's Saka impression as Arsenal saw off Girona, PSV stunning a heavily-rotated Liverpool in Eindhoven, routine wins for Bayern and Real Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb's brave win over 10-man Milan that wasn't quite enough, and Sporting's squeaky point that saw them progress, as well as big wins for Inter, Benfica, Leverkusen, Lille, and Atletico.

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!

With the end of the transfer window riding up on us quicker than anybody expected, and with nobody but Manchester City really getting the gears into action so far, there are a whole lot of stories building up to breaking point in the next few days. On today's show, Transfer Guru Dean Jones walks us through ten talking points about what deals are in the offing, and what to expect in terms of the market movers and shakers.

We discuss potential swap deals, outgoings at Manchester United, Chelsea's plan to sign a forward, Tottenham's long-term ambitions, City looking to plug the midfield hole, Arsenal's eyes on a potential loan move for a No 9, and much more - as well as the potential futures for players such as Evan Ferguson, Ansu Fati, Alejandro Garnacho, João Félix and the rest.

Before that, Jack runs through three things he loved at the weekend - including the chaos at AC Milan, Gavi's future-captain-turn on the sidelines for Barcelona, and Jota v3 returning to Celtic Park after a brutal spell away.

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!

Borussia Dortmund parted company with head coach Nuri Sahin this week after a set of deeply concerning performances that have seen a giant of German and European football languishing in 10th in the Bundesliga, as well as falling out of the automatic qualification places in Europe.

But the problems at the famous Westfalenstadion go far deeper than just a rookie coach seemingly out of his depth. Instead, they are endemic to the very fabric of one of the most well-known clubs in the world - issues with recruitment both on and off the pitch have led to this malaise, as well as failing to keep up with the changing times around them.

We take a look at the decline of their league form, that was somewhat papered over by an excellent Champions League run last season, problems with getting the right kind of people in place to allow the club to flourish, and the 'keep it in-house' nature of the front office, all of which have contributed to this fall from grace.

So can these problems be turned around? Or are Dortmund destined to be a fading force for more than just the immediate future? 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 Champions League Takeaway, your late night delivery following the action - after another breathless week in the UCL that saw chaos reign across both days.

We start with Wednesday's action, opening with a discussion of PSG's impressive comeback 4-2 win over Manchester City, which was a much needed European reprieve for Luis Enrique, and another difficult night for Pep Guardiola's charges, who now find themselves outside the qualification spots going into the final matchday.

Feyenoord hammered Bayern 3-0 despite Vincent Kompany's men having nearly 80% of possession and 26 shots, and we look at why Bayern looked so lethargic in Rotterdam; as well as examining Arsenal's routine dismantling of Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates; and the show that Real Madrid put on to beat RB Salzburg 5-1 in fine style at the Bernabeu.

There's a roundup of all the rest of Wednesday's football too - Leipzig getting their first UCL win this season against struggling Sporting, Shakhtar keeping their faint hopes alive with a win over surprise package Brest, Celtic finally getting over the line and securing qualification with a 1-0 victory against Young Boys; and wins for both Inter and Milan to push themselves firmly back into Top Eight contention.

Then in Part Two, we're onto Tuesday's action, which begins with one of the craziest games you'll see all season - as Barcelona came from two goals down to win 5-4 at Benfica, in a game that had absolutely everything - madness, meltdowns, majesty, and all the rest.

We talk a relatively routine win for Liverpool over Lille that maintained the Reds' perfect record in this competition and kept them top of the table; a vintage Atleti Dark Arts performance which saw them come from a goal and a man down to beat Leverkusen at a fizzing Metropolitano; and Villa's 1-0 loss to Monaco that saw them slip out of the Top Eight and miss a golden chance to keep themselves in the best shape to avoid the playoff round.

Rounding things up, we discuss Bologna's win over Borussia Dortmund in front of an amazing display at the Renato Dall'Ara that saw Nuri Sahin lose his job as Dortmund manager, PSV crawling over the line in the snow in Belgrade as they beat Crvena Zvezda 3-2, five-star Atalanta's excellent display against hapless Sturm Graz, Stuttgart's resurgence as they beat Slovan Bratislava, and another draw for Juve - as they were held 0-0 in Bruges.

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!

We talk a lot about the teams who are outdoing themselves, playing above their means, and taking their rightful flowers for their performances, but there's two sides to every coin. For every Bournemouth, there's a West Ham; for every Mainz, a Borussia Dortmund; and every Athletic Club, a Real Betis.

We break down the teams who have struggled to meet their expectations across the course of this season - those who have flattered to deceive, those who have fallen well short of their pre-season expectations, and those who have been forced to reconsider their course midway through the campaign.

Before that, there's time to look at a few more things going on in Europe - the resurgence of Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid form and the fact that all three of the 'Tres Grandes' of Portugal - Sporting, Benfica and Porto - have now changed coaches in the same season for the first time in history.

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!

In a move that has somewhat stunned the football world, Napoli's Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has told manager Antonio Conte he wants to leave the Neapolitan club, and is on the brink of a €70m move to PSG, despite the fact that his current side are top of Serie A and challenging for a second title in three seasons.

So why is this happening, and why is it happening now? We dive deeper into Kvara's story at Napoli - including his adoption as an honorary Neapolitan, and the breathtaking ability that he displayed as he and Victor Osimhen led Gli Azzurri to the 2022/23 league title; as well as his new role under Antonio Conte and some explanations as to why we haven't quite seen the best of the man they call 'Kvaradona' this season.

There's also a discussion of some off-the-field matters, which include a big portion about the contract that Kvaratskhelia is on in Naples, and questions about why that deal wasn't renewed after he proved his worth almost as soon as hitting the ground; and the treatment and subsequent departure of his old co-pilot Osimhen, which was a messy affair all summer long.

And, from the PSG side, we look at how this might affect Bradley Barcola, who had such a brilliant first half of this season domestically, and where Kvara fits into a Luis Enrique system.

So is this move about money, morals, mobility or playing under a coach that best suits the Georgian's style and ability? 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?