Episode 142 - Ranking the 10 Best Midfielders in World Football + Where will Antoine Semenyo land?
On this episode, Patrick and Hayden rank the 10 best midfielders in football for the 2025/26 season. They get into why Pedri is the clear number 1, the difficulties in ranking Caicedo, Declan Rice, and Vitinha. Next comes Dominik Szoboszlai and Fede Valverde, whose versatility makes them super valuable. Slots 7-10 differ for the guys, with Tchouaméni, Joao Neves, Bruno Grimaraes, Elliott Anderson, and Gravenberch all getting mentioned.
Then comes Antoine Semenyo, who is rumoured to be available for £65m in January. Where are his landing spots, why have his numbers declined this season, and could a loan to Barcelona be in the cards? Enjoy!
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00:00 - Intro
01:49 - Establishing rules for the rankings
03:16 - Defining 6’s vs 8’s vs 10’s
04:46 - A Clear #1 - Pedri
05:22 - Injuries are his only downside
06:59 - La Masia’s magic
09:30 - The gold standard
10:16 - Declan Rice vs Caicedo
11:50 - Hayden was WRONG about Rice
12:59 - Caicedo over Rice?
14:27 - Rice’s progressive actions + Caicedo is hard to judge
16:58 - Both are super durable
18:28 - Vitinha second for Hayden?
21:50 - Vitinha runs the game like a manager would want
23:33 - Dominik Szoboszlai, but is he a midfielder?
26:07 - Comparison to Fede Valverde’s versatility
28:26 - Valverde as a leader
29:37 - 11 of 1 player as the best team in the world?
30:00 - Hayden’s remaining 7-10 (Tchouaméni, Joao Neves, Bruno Grimaraes)
32:10 - Who is 10th?
32:33 - Patrick’s 7-10 (Tchouaméni, Neves, Gravenberch, Eliott Anderson?)
36:20 - Contenders for the final spot
38:33 - Antoine Semenyo to leave Bournemouth this January?
40:04 - What teams does he make sense for?
41:00 - The price tag makes this difficult + numbers dropping this season?
43:26 - A loan move to Barcelona?
45:20 - Great fit on the current Bournemouth team
46:55 - Less minutes on his legs than his age would suggest
48:33 - Bournemouth’s talent exodus explaining the dropoff?
#footballplayer #premierleague #barcelona #pedri #declanrice #caicedo #vitinha #joaoneves #arsenal #chelsea #liverpool #laliga #realmadrid #psg #football #soccer #footballpodcast #foryou #fyp
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50:52
Episode 141 - Buy or Sell: Roma Top 2, Bundesliga Shakeup, and Forest Relegated?
On this episode, Ted and Hayden go around Europe and play buy or sell on the biggest storylines outside the Premier League. Villarreal’s push toward Spain’s top three, Roma’s rebuild under Gasperini, and why the Bundesliga race behind Bayern looks completely different this season. They dig into whether anyone can get close to PSG, how Enrique has reshaped the squad, and what the depth in Ligue 1 really looks like this year. Then it shifts to recruitment, the mistakes that matter, what people get wrong about player evaluation, and how clubs actually improve their processes. The episode wraps with the Premier League relegation fight, Forest’s chances of staying up, and the teams that should be worried as the season grinds on.
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro and episode overview
02:26 – Villarreal’s rise and whether they can crack Spain’s top three
03:13 – Why their Champions League form muddies the picture
05:48 – Villarreal’s recruitment model and defensive identity
08:30 – Buy or sell on Villarreal finishing third
09:25 – Roma’s rebuild under Gasperini and the Serie A traffic jam
11:27 – Roma’s defensive ceiling and why second place is a reach
13:26 – Inter, Juve, Milan and the top-end parity in Italy
14:04 – Bayern’s insane metrics and the Bundesliga hierarchy
15:40 – Leverkusen’s early meltdown and fast correction
16:06 – Frankfurt’s upside and the challenges of young squads
17:20 – How Leipzig and Dortmund keep shifting week to week
18:10 – The injuries that could flip the Bundesliga race below Bayern
20:33 – PSG’s depth, fatigue and the reality of the title race
22:22 – Similarities to last season for PSG
23:16 – Shot profiles, xG gaps and how Ligue 1’s depth is changing
25:17 – What would it take for PSG to not win Ligue 1?
27:00 – PSG vs Bayern in how well they are run
28:32 – How coaching cycles open windows for challengers
29:45 – What you can see on our Patreon
31:55 – The challenges of player recruitment and the lessons we learn
33:55 – Buy or sell on Nottingham Forest staying up
35:01 – Sean Dyche and squad fit
36:01 – West Ham’s slide and the red flags in their recruitment
36:45 – Who will get relegated?
38:09 – Leeds, Brentford and the margins at the bottom
39:04 – Why West Ham might be the real danger team
43:20 – Wrap-up and Patreon plug
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Episode 140 - Should Liverpool Sell Mo Salah? + Can Marseille win Ligue 1?
Patrick and Hayden head around Europe, starting in Spain where Atlético Madrid are quietly changing who they are under Simeone. Is this finally the version that sticks? Then it’s on to La Liga’s heavyweights to look at how Real Madrid’s new system has fixed their defensive issues, and why Barcelona’s press has completely fallen apart without Raphinha.
In France, Marseille’s numbers under De Zerbi look seriously good, but can they actually push PSG over a full season? And finally, the big question: would Liverpool be better off selling Mo Salah this summer?
Robino Vaz newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/p/this-18-year-old-striker-is-lighting-up-france
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and episode overview
01:34 - Atlético Madrid’s evolution under Simeone
03:21 - What’s changed in Atleti’s possession and attack
04:55 - Julian Alvarez’s impact and tactical fit
07:42 - Atlético’s new ownership and transfer efficiency
12:32 - Comparing Atleti with Real Madrid and Barcelona
14:42 - Real Madrid’s new style under Xabi Alonso
16:36 - Barcelona’s press issues without Raphinha
19:21 - Why Real Madrid defend better than Barça
21:37 - How pressing and ball recoveries differ between the two
24:34 - Can Barcelona fix their defensive problems?
25:47 - Ligue 1 and PSG’s title race
27:20 - Marseille’s progress under De Zerbi
28:25 - PSG’s injuries and Vitinha's workload
30:01 - Marseille’s ceiling and what could hold them back
32:15 - Fatigue and pressing sustainability
35:22 - Strasbourg’s chaos and Ligue 1 contenders
38:32 - The Mohamed Salah question
39:15 - Should Liverpool sell Salah next summer?
41:24 - Patrick’s take on Salah’s numbers and Liverpool’s attack
43:42 - Where could Salah realistically go?
46:30 - Arne Slot’s challenges at Liverpool
47:55 - Squad depth and full-back problems
49:09 - Missed transfer opportunities and what’s next
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Episode 139 - Man City THRASH Liverpool + Man United's Dream Midfielder
On this episode, Patrick and Ted discuss the Man city vs Liverpool game and how both teams still have problems. Why teams such as Aston Villa and Tottenham are lucky to be in the position they are in and you can expect that to change. While also looking at Man United and why they are looking at signing Conor Gallagher and Angelo Stiller. Enjoy!
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Neel's article on Bayern: https://www.thetransferflow.com/p/are-bayern-munich-serious-champions-league-contenders-eac4
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Timestamps:
0:00 intro pateron link
3:05 Man city vs Liverpool review
3:58 Doku’s amazing season so far
6:16 Pep’s adaptability
8:16 Man City deserved to beat Liverpool
10:10 liverpool’s form this season
11:16 liverpool’s 3 big problems
12:43 Out of possession fall off
15:22 Liverpool transitional year
17:11 Arsenal drop points but played well
19:08 The Premier League table makes no sense
21:20 The only 4 teams that have a positive expected goal difference
21:58 Aston villa are getting very lucky
23:15 Villa score a lot from outside the box
24:05 Villa have no creativity
25:02 More goals from outside the box
29:27 Newcastle have had some bad losses
30:27 Eddie howe is not innocent
32:29 Injuries will save Newcastle
33:20 Eddie howe’s spending and poor sales
34:27 If injuries continue they might be stuck
35:12 Spurs vs Man United was awful
36:07 Frank is struggling at Tottenham
36:37 Variance betting
37:37 Don’t expect spurs to keep getting points
38:54 Man united interesting in Gallagher and Stiller
40:21 Gallagher might not be the best fit
42:26 Stiller would be a great signing
45:02 Stiller’s price
46:05 Wrap-up and pateron link
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Episode 138 - This team just became Champions League favorites + Will Vinicius LEAVE Real Madrid?
On this episode, Patrick and Neel run through this week’s Champions League fixtures. PSG v Bayern leads the show as Bayern make a statement with their turnover-to-chance fluidity and PSG suffer from strange structural moments. Liverpool produce a dominant night against Real while Barcelona’s defensive issues keep showing up (despite Lamine Yamal's brilliance). Will Vinicius Jr. leave Real Madrid and where should he go? Plus Chelsea vs a Harry Potter spell and more. Enjoy!
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:38 – Bayern Munich vs PSG: tactical analysis of the headline clash
02:50 – Bayern’s first-half control and Musiala’s absence
04:20 – Luis Díaz’s role and new attacking balance
06:00 – Upamecano’s defensive leadership and pressing cues
07:30 – PSG’s buildup problems and Marquinhos’ errors
09:15 – Bayern’s fluid attack turning turnovers into goals
11:10 – Are Bayern now clear Champions League favourites?
13:45 – What the Arsenal matchup could reveal about Bayern
15:05 – Liverpool vs Real Madrid: performance insights
16:30 – Slot’s tactical reset and lineup consistency
18:00 – Liverpool's talent advantage
19:10 – Real Madrid’s structural flaws and left-side bias
20:54 – Slot's reasoning
25:00 – Courtois was unbeliveable
27:40 – Will Liverpool stick to this plan?
29:06 – Vinicius Jr’s future at Real Madrid
30:05 – Which clubs could realistically afford Vinicius
33:30 – Chelsea?
34:38 – Saudi the only option?
35:25 – Mbappé’s fit alongside a traditional striker
37:50 – Barcelona’s defensive struggles and high-line collapse
38:54 – Barca's defensive xG woes
40:46 – Club Brugge’s performance
42:11 – Barca's reliance on Lamine Yamal
43:20 – Credit to Carlos Forbes
48:34 – Qarabag vs Chelsea: a shocking encounter
49:20 – Chelsea need a Striker and what Cole Palmer's absensce exposes
51:00 – Wrap-up and Patreon reminder
#bayernmunich #realmadrid #championsleague #bayern #barcelona #liverpool #arsenal #psg #lamineyamal #dembele #mbappe #vinicius #ucl #foryou #fyp
South Africa