Author: Joe Soriano

Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.
Ranking the 5 best Barcelona players in 2025
8Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best Barcelona players in 2025

Who are the best Barcelona players right now in 2025? 5. CB Inigo Martinez I bounced back and forth between Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, and I also think fellow central defenders Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde merit serious consideration here, especially since Kounde has become such a great right back in his own right despite being a center back at heart. Cubarsi is even better on the ball and has more future potential as an 18-year-old phenom who is, in a way, Lamine Yamal's defensive equivalent. But how could I leave Martinez off a list of the best Barcelona players RIGHT NOW, when, RIGHT NOW, Martinez is one of the best center backs on the planet. That may seem like a crazy statement, but it's only absurd to the uninformed. Martinez has been a top-level center back in LaLiga ...
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Ranking the 5 best AC Milan players in 2025
8Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best AC Milan players in 2025

Who are AC Milan's best players right now in 2025? 5. RW Christian Pulisic Although a certain segment of Serie A fans hailing from a certain country will overrate Christian Pulisic and bloviate about how he's a better player than Rafael Leao despite having a fraction of the Portuguese international's ability, there's no questioning the fact that Pulisic is one of the best wingers in Serie A in his own right and is capable of outplaying his left-sided teammate for stretches. Pulisic has gone from overhyped Dortmund prospect and inconsistent Chelsea rotational piece to one of the best attacking players in Serie A and someone AC Milan can legitimately build their team around. He's also become more unselfish in Italian football, improving as a passer and creator with a superior work ra...
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The 10 best Lyon players of the 2010s decade
7Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
All-Time Lists

The 10 best Lyon players of the 2010s decade

Lyon are one of the proudest clubs in European football with a rich history, and in the 2010s, they transitioned from being a dominant force to a quality side that focused on producing top young talents as a result of PSG's monopoly over Ligue 1 following the Qatar takeover. The 2010s were marked by stars of the last decade and new, exciting stars paving the way for the next era of Lyon football. Here are the 10 best Lyon players of the decade. ST Lisandro Lopez Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez was the main man who took over from Karim Benzema, and he scored 15 goals in the 2009/10 season before notching 44 goals in the three seasons to start the 2010s decade. It's not a stretch to call Lopez one of the two best Lyon strikers of the 2010s, and the only better striker is quite lit...
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Ranking the 10 best penalty takers in world football in 2025
6Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 10 best penalty takers in world football in 2025

Who are the best penalty kick takers in world football right now in 2025? 10.  Ante Budimir, Osasuna Ante Budimir probably isn't going to win the Pichichi trophy over Big Two LaLiga superstars Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe, but the fact that a striker from Osasuna is in the conversation is a huge feat, reminiscent of that one time Dani Guiza won the Pichichi more than a decade ago. A standout of LaLiga for years, dating back to his days at Mallorca, Budimir has morphed into one of the best pure finishers in world football and that deadly accuracy extends to the penalty spot where he has converted all seven of his attempts in the current league campaign. 9. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has come a long way since his high-profile miss against Yann So...
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Ranking the 5 best Serie A managers in 2025
6Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best Serie A managers in 2025

A ranking of the best managers in Serie A right now in 2025, based solely on current coaching quality. 5. Claudio Ranieri, Roma Claudio Ranieri took over from stopgap coach Ivan Juric (now at Juventus, interestingly enough) in November for a Roma side that was seemingly doomed following their dismissal of club legend Daniele De Rossi, who had already replaced another great coach in Jose Mourinho. Both the Mourinho and De Rossi firings were wildly unpopular with Roma fans, as both coaches were beloved by the Giallorossi faithful and had shown that they could be the right men to lead Roma. In his third stint with Roma, the latest club icon to take the reins has quickly turned things around in the capital, and Roma are now ahead of local rivals Lazio. They have been impressive with th...
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2024/25 Champions League Predictions for the Quarterfinals
6Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2024/25 Champions League Predictions for the Quarterfinals

On Tuesday, the quarterfinals of the 2024/25 Champions League season will begin, and while defending champions Real Madrid are always the favorites until proven otherwise, they have been significantly outplayed by Barcelona in their own league and barely survived the Round of 16 against crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are still sticking around despite their struggles in the Premier League and have a big-ticket battle against Unai Emery's former club PSG, who knocked league phase leaders Liverpool out of the competition. Here are the full predictions for the quarterfinals across both legs. Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan Bayern Munich head into the Champions League quarterfinals with a ton of major injuries to their back line. The most significant one is the t...
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2024/25 Serie A Season, Matchday 31 Score Predictions
5Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2024/25 Serie A Season, Matchday 31 Score Predictions

Serie A has several tantalizing matchups on Matchday 31 of the 2024/25 season. Here is a score prediction for every game after Friday's 1-0 win for Genoa over Udinese. Monza vs. Como The battle of the two pay-to-play faux underdog stories in Serie A can have only one winner and that is no one. As much as Como are the favorites against a Monza side that is dead last, destined for Serie B, and winners of just two matches all season long, I can see Monza doing just enough to dig their heels in and get a win. After all, Monza are at home and have added motivation against a club whose shoes they were once in. But Monza have bled talent, like Andrea Colpani and Carlos Augusto, without making adequate replacements. Dany Mota comes up with a miracle goal in an ungodly minute of stoppage ti...
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2024/25 Bundesliga Season, Matchday 28 Score Predictions
5Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2024/25 Bundesliga Season, Matchday 28 Score Predictions

After Bayern Munich got the job done on Friday night with a 3-1, come-from-behind win over local rivals Augsburg, let's predict the rest of the games on tap for Matchday 28 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Bochum vs. Stuttgart Bochum upset Bayern Munich (again) and got a point out of Wolfsburg recently, but I don't think anyone seriously thinks they will upend Stuttgart, who have been one of the best teams in the Bundesliga yet again this season despite losing a bevy of talent in the summer 2024 transfer window (mostly to Dortmund). Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade is one of the biggest breakout stars of the season so far, and I bet he adds a 10th goal to his tally as part of a 2-0 win on the road for Die Schwaben. RB Leipzig vs. Hoffenheim You've heard of El Traffico in Los Angeles, but...
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2024/25 LaLiga Season, Matchday 30 Score Predictions
5Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2024/25 LaLiga Season, Matchday 30 Score Predictions

Espanyol just spanked Rayo Vallecano 4-0 on Friday night to kick off Matchday 30 of the 2024/25 LaLiga season. Here are predictions for the rest of the games, including big bouts for Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Girona vs. Alaves Girona have only won two games in 2025 and one in the last two months, whereas Alaves have been terrible themselves and sit 17th in the league with the threat of relegation very much a reality for them again. Something's got to give on Saturday, and that something is Viktor Tsygankov, who was supposed to break out as Girona's new star this season after the sale of Savinho to Girona's parent club Manchester City. It's time for the 27-year-old to be the hero this weekend and guide Girona to a scrappy 1-0 win. Real Madrid vs. Valencia There ...
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2024/25 Premier League Season, Matchday 31 Score Predictions
5Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2024/25 Premier League Season, Matchday 31 Score Predictions

Who will win each of the matches on schedule on Matchday 31 of the 2024/25 Premier League Season? The biggest match of the week will undoubtedly be the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City on Sunday, but don't sleep on Liverpool vs. Fulham or Brentford vs. Chelsea either. Everton vs. Arsenal Everton's only advantage lies in the fact that they are the home team, because even though Arsenal do have a bevy of injuries that they've been carrying over this season, the Gunners have Bukayo Saka back. To be honest, there isn't much that stands out about Arsenal as a team this season, and it wouldn't be a shock if Nottingham Forest overtook them for second. There's no title race, but Arsenal have a lot of pride on the line and are noticeably and significantly better whenever the...
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