Player Milestones

Hello Rank Squad! It's the second Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at Wednesday's action from the Second Legs of the Round of 16 - where the final four teams booked their spots in the Quarter Finals - Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich & Atletico Madrid. We start at the refurbished Camp Nou, where Barcelona survived a first half basketball game with Newcastle United, and then absolutely flattened the Magpies in the second, playing some scintillating football that showcased just how breathtaking their attack can be in full flight. It was also an interesting night in North London, where Spurs actually won their first game under Igor Tudor, only for it not to be enough to qualify for the next round, given the collapse in the first half of the first leg. We take a look at whether this actually might be the best-case scenario for Tottenham Hotspur, with morale and momentum maintained, whilst taking Europe out of the equation in order to focus minds on the absolute necessity of survival in the Premier League. It was a strange performance from the visitors too - caught a little bit between killing the tie and defending their lead, but whilst they looked disjointed after 9 changes from the weekend, they did more than enough. In Part Two we discuss two individual record breaking legends. First off, we head to Anfield, where Mo Salah hit a pearler for his 50th Champions League goal; as Liverpool stepped on Galatasaray's neck, smashing the Istanbul side 4-0 in front of a completely partizan crowd to both revive the mood of the season, and give manager Arne Slot a stay of execution after serious pressure in recent weeks. Then, it's over to Munich, where Harry Kane matched Salah's achievement with a brace; as Bayern finished the job against Atalanta in what felt like a formality. Both missed penalties tonight. Both are amongst the best of a generation. Two icons of the modern era, reaching their milestones on a special night. 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? (http://patreon.com/ranksfc) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jimbo’s got helpers James Horncastle, Seb Stafford-Bloor & Pol Ballús alongside him for some pre-Christmas cheer of a European variety. We begin in La Liga, where it’s as you were at the top of the table with Barca navigating the tricky trip to Villarreal to come away with all three points to keep their advantage at the top of the table. Real’s win over Sevilla helps ease the pressure on Xabi Alonso - but is Vini Jr’s future in more serious doubt? The shock scoreline across the continent was perhaps recorded in Florence, where having gone 210 days without a Serie A win - Fiorentina only went and put five past Udinese! Plus, Lois Openda ended his Juve goalscoring drought in their win over Roma to make things even tighter at the top. We touch base with events in France, Portugal, Turkey and the Netherlands - including the mounting troubles for Robin van Persie, Coupe de France storylines and lone Portuguese superfans! And in Germany - Bayern Munich continued their remarkable form with a 4-0 thrashing of Heidenheim - featuring Harry Kane’s 100th goal involvement in record quick time. Is the sky the limit for Vincent Kompany’s side this season? Produced by Lucy Oliva. RUNNING ORDER: • PART 1: Moments of the weekend (00.45) • PART 2: La Liga review - Mbappe equals CR7 as Barca pass Villarreal test (07.15) • PART 3: Serie A review - Fiorentina win a game… no, seriously! (18.40) • PART 4: Elsewhere in Europe - Coupe de France storylines & RvP under pressure (36.03) • PART 5: Bundesliga review - the Bayern machine rolls on (40.55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jimbo’s got the whole gang together as Julien Laurens, James Horncastle, Seb Stafford-Bloor and Pol Ballús indulge in some European chit-chat as the season reaches its climax. The Serie A chaos continued with the title set to be decided on Friday night… unless a play-off is required! That’s after Inter were held 2-2 by Lazio while Napoli were goalless at Parma, but it’s Antonio Conte’s side who still sit a point clear at the top of the table. The Eredivisie set a high bar for mayhem as PSV retained their title on the final day - despite trailing Ajax by 9 points with just 5 games to go! Michiel Jongsma’s back to tell us how - and why Ajax’s next boss should probably be bald… Over in Ligue 1, Alexandre Lacazette signed off in style with goals 200 and 201 for his hometown club Lyon - while there was extraordinary late drama in Strasbourg as Abdoulaye Touré’s 99th minute panenka kept Le Havre in the top flight. Barcelona were still on the beers as they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal, but it didn’t matter after more Lamine Yamal magic had sealed the La Liga title against Espanyol in midweek. Meanwhile, the rebuild’s already started at Real Madrid with Dean Huijsen signed and the announcement of new manager Xavi Alonso seemingly imminent… And in the Bundesliga, Dortmund completed their remarkable turnaround under Niko Kovac to seal a Champions League spot - while champions Bayern Munich finished the season 13 points clear of Leverkusen as Harry Kane made it back-to-back Golden Boots. Plus - what’s the mood across Europe as the Premier League’s 16th and 17th-placed banter clubs do battle in Bilbao in Wednesday night’s Europa League final? Produced by Lucy Oliva. RUNNING ORDER: • PART 1: Moments of the weekend & Europa League final preview (00.45) • PART 2: Serie A review - All to play for under the Friday Night Lights (11.25) • PART 3: Portugal, Turkey, Ajax’s epic collapse - and bald men (24.35) • PART 4: Ligue 1 review - Touré’s panenka, Nice’s UCL spot & Jonathan David’s future (38.40) • PART 5: La Liga review - Barca on the beach as relegation jeopardy remains (48.35) • PART 6: Bundesliga review - Dortmund surge to 4th as Kane picks up latest accolade (55.15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse are back on the podcast diving into matches across Europe. Christian Pulisic scores against Lecce and joins Clint Dempsey as the second American with 10+ league goals in the top 4 Euro Leagues. Champions League and Champions Cup continue as quarterfinals are underway this week. (6:11) MLS standings also got shaken up this week, with LAFC grabbing a big win in El Tráfico and NY Red Bulls surging to the top after their win over Cincinnati. Messi bags a goal 12 minutes into his return. (28:51) To wrap, the guys look at formations that would get the best USWNT attacking talent on the field, including Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Catarina Macario. And Alexi takes the top spot for most iconic facial hair in soccer! (47:27) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musa and Ryan begin with a bit of an update on the Christmas schedule, plus shout out a few results, including the Columbus Crew’s second MLS Cup in four years (01:00). They then head to the Premier League, where Liverpool went top after beating Crystal Palace thanks to Mo Salah’s 200th Liverpool goal and a wonderful Harvey Elliott winner (07:27), Aston Villa beat Arsenal to secure a record 15th home win in a row to cap a brilliant week for Unai Emery (18:27), there were more impressive wins for Everton (25:39), and Bournemouth and Spurs addressed their slumps. There’s some quick chat about José Mourinho sending messages (39:10), Bayern getting hammered by Eintracht Frankfurt, Union’s first win since August, and more! Hosts: Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga Producer: Ryan Hunn Additional Production: Alex Adey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices For more podcasts, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, you can become a Stadio member by signing up at patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was no need for Southampton vs Man City to be a crazy, backs-to-the-wall thriller – but what a game it was! After an understandably sluggish start football seems to have found its groove. Marcus, Andy and Jim also look back over Arsenal’s impressive win over Wolves, Man United’s vintage demolition of Bournemouth and, of course, consider which of Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola you’d prefer to fight. We also check in with some record-breakers as Jamie Vardy, Sergio Ramos, and Gigi Buffon all continue to defy the concept of ageing! Search ‘Football Ramble’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.