Author: Joe Soriano

Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.

ESPN’s Premier League Power Rankings spit out troubling prognosis for Arsenal
21Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
News

ESPN’s Premier League Power Rankings spit out troubling prognosis for Arsenal

Arsenal have been in the driver's seat of the Premier League title race throughout the entire season, but everyone else in the league has been watching on with envy, just waiting for the Gunners to wilt before the season ends. So far, there has been no sign of an impending collapse. Even with key players like Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka either hurt or underperforming, a tired Arsenal squad remains strong, buoyed by an elite defense and a midfield that has exerted greater control after adding Martin Zubimendi this summer. Even so, not everyone is high on Arsenal's ability to remain impenetrable this season, and ESPN's Ryan O'Hanlon recently produced a Premier League Power Rankings piece with a formula based around squad value, expected goal difference, passing accuracy in build up...
Read More
Ranking the 5 best young Premier League midfielders of the season
21Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 best young Premier League midfielders of the season

Everyone is so busy ripping apart the current Premier League for not being as good as it was, but instead of getting swept up in nostalgia, let's actually appreciate some of the young guns who are rising in this league. Here are five young, under 23 center midfielders who are balling out right now. 5. Tim Iroegbunam, Everton The Everton midfielders have been crazy underrated this season. Jack Garner is legitimately one of the best midfielders in European football right now, and the 22 year old defensive mid Tim Iroegbunam who, sometimes, starts next to him is also worth a shout. Now, Iroegbunam is way too inconsistent to be even remotely considered one of the top overall midfielders in the Premier League, but when he is on his A game, he is tremendous. There are only a handful of midf...
Read More
5 players who have embarrassed the Premier League in this Champions League season
20Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

5 players who have embarrassed the Premier League in this Champions League season

Rumors of the Premier League's demise are way off base, but it is true that a few big Premier League clubs have been a bit disappointing in the Champions League this year. Here are five individual players who have been flopping in the 2025/26 UCL campaign; four of them have been eliminated already. Newcastle CM Jacob Ramsey Jacob Ramsey definitely had a Champions League season to forget, and he is one of a few players who were miserably poor in Newcastle United's humbling 7-2 defeat to Barcelona in the decisive 7-2 defeat at the Spotify Camp Nou. The 24 year old center midfielder undermined what was actually a great defensive campaign with a disasterclass of a performance, gifting a goal to Raphinha. But the real issue in that game and overall was Ramsey's inability to help the team i...
Read More
Every Premier League Big 6 club’s most improved player in the 2025/26 season
20Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Every Premier League Big 6 club’s most improved player in the 2025/26 season

Which Premier League players on Big Six clubs have improved their standing the most in the 2025/26 season? Here is one standout from each of the top clubs in the English top flight. Arsenal: Jurrien Timber Jurrien Timber was already a top defender before joining Arsenal and had a solid 2024/25 season, but he has really stepped up his game and become the best right back in the Premier League this season, usurping another great right back in Ben White. He is such a great athlete and can lock any player down one on one. There is not a better defensive fullback on either side of the formation than Timber, who has translated even better to the Premiership. This season, he has been one of the heroes of an Arsenal side that is the best team in the Premier League, and he should honestly be ge...
Read More
2025/26 Premier League season picks, score predictions for Matchday 31
19Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

2025/26 Premier League season picks, score predictions for Matchday 31

Matchday 31 of the 2025/26 Premier League season is upon us. Here are score predictions for every game in the English top flight this weekend. Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester United Bournemouth are one of the toughest teams for the big clubs in the Premier League to face, and with players like Junior Eli Kroupi breaking out and making the most of their chances in front of goal, the Red Devils are going to be in for a tough matchup on the road. But Manchester United are also dangerous under Michael Carrick, and though they are far from perfect, the way they are playing with Benjamin Sesko now firing on all cylinders gives them a great equalizer, too. The margin for error is slim, but Man United will do enough for the win. Brighton 2-2 Liverpool Liverpool look like a completely different t...
Read More
5 players who tanked their stock with nightmare Champions League Round of 16 performances
19Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

5 players who tanked their stock with nightmare Champions League Round of 16 performances

The Champions League Round of 16 is officially in the books, but the fallout from the biggest club tournament in world football has not been fully digested yet. Here are five players who were so poor in the second leg of the tournament that fans are having new doubts about them. Chelsea CB Mamadou Sarr To be honest, Chelsea fans were already having doubts about Mamadou Sarr. He's only getting starts because the rest of the Chelsea center backs have been so underwhelming this season, but he was so horrendous in the latest loss to PSG that maybe Blues fans will appreciate Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile a little bit more in comparison. Out of all the underwhelming center backs on this team, Sarr is the worst. He almost never wins possession for this team, and his passive playing sty...
Read More
2026 Champions League Power Rankings: Initial ranking of every team in the quarterfinals
18Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

2026 Champions League Power Rankings: Initial ranking of every team in the quarterfinals

The 2025/26 Champions League season's Round of 16 is now done and dusted, so with the quarterfinals up next, it's time to rank all eight teams that are moving on to the next round of European football's biggest club competition. 8. Sporting CP Sporting CP pulled off a comeback for the ages, annihilating underdogs Bodo Glimt in a second leg twist that few saw coming, because Bodo Glimt were playing as well as any team in the competition. Maybe we are all sleeping on Sporting too much. The OTHER Luis Suarez is playing the ball of his life and looks even better than Viktor Gyokeres. Sporting have a good team, but they just don't have the firepower of the true European giants. 7. Atletico Madrid In truth, Atletico Madrid are lucky to even be in the quarterfinals, because if it were not ...
Read More
Manchester United fans get crucial Sandro Tonali transfer news
18Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Manchester United fans get crucial Sandro Tonali transfer news

The Sandro Tonali transfer saga is going to be one of the biggest stories of the Premier League transfer window this summer, as rivals Arsenal and Manchester United are pushing hard for the Newcastle United star as a dream signing. Manchester United have by far the biggest need for Tonali's profile, as he is the sort of athlete and playmaker who can be a center piece player for a midfield that lacks a top class player in his prime. According to a report from transfer insider Christopher Michel, Manchester United are now "seriously working" on a move for Tonali, and while that is huge for United fans to hear, the bigger part of the report is Michel's info that Tonali himself is "apparently quite open" to moving to Old Trafford. Michel further adds that he has heard Manchester Unite...
Read More
Declan Rice gives Eberechi Eze the encouragement he needs to be Arsenal’s next big star
18Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
News

Declan Rice gives Eberechi Eze the encouragement he needs to be Arsenal’s next big star

Arsenal delivered the goods yet again in a big game, pushing past Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 to advance 3-1 on aggregate to the quarterfinals of the 2025/26 Champions League season. Eberechi Eze was the man of the hour, scoring the go ahead goal in the tie in smashing fashion, volleying the goal home with absolute venom, reminding the world that he is one of the best ball strikers around. Well, his midfield teammate Declan Rice, who is having a Player of the Season caliber year, certainly didn't forget Eze's shooting abilities, and he praised the former Crystal Palace man highly after the match. Rice said of Eze, via Hand of Arsenal, "Eze has one of the best shots I have seen. Left foot Right foot. Unreal. Anywhere around that box, just give it Ebs. When you look at the season, we have ...
Read More
18Mar By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Manchester United doubling down on unpopular Casemiro decision

Manchester United defensive midfielder Casemiro is getting up there in age, but he has still been one of the best players in his position this season, including scoring important goals for the club. So with Man United already needing a lot of help in the middle of the park, many fans want to see the Red Devils extending the impending free agent for at least one more season. However, talkSPORT's Alex Crook reports that Man United are sticking to their guns and are not going to be re-signing Casemiro this summer, because even though he is still playing well, the Red Devils want to overhaul their club in a younger direction with proven Premier League players who can perform more than one game per week. After all, Manchester United are going to be qualifying for European football next...
Read More