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.

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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Ranking the 10 best LaLiga goalkeepers right now in 2025
4Apr By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 10 best LaLiga goalkeepers right now in 2025

I don't think a lot of fans - including some pretty hardcore ones - understand just how brilliant LaLiga's goalkeepers have been over the past several years. And I'm not just talking about the divine trinity of Thibaut Courtois, Jan Oblak, and Marc Andre-ter Stegen at the "Big Three" either, because, let's face it, Oblak and MATS had a couple of rough seasons in between some monster ones. No, even when you look at the other goalkeepers they've fielded like Juan Musso, Wojciech Szczesny, and Andriy Lunin, all those guys would be top five-goalkeepers in many other top European leagues. But beyond the Big Three is where you really get to see talent. Remember Edgar Badia and Jeremias Ledesma? How about Alex Remiro at Real Sociedad? He's been on highlight reels in LaLiga for years. Now...
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27Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

7 non-UCL teams in 2024/25 who could make the Champions League in 2025/26

There are few things better than a good comeback story, and one of those few things is a good underdog story. In that spirit, let's take a look at seven teams that failed to qualify for the Champions League in the 2024/25 season but are currently in a position - or within striking distance - of Champions League qualification next season. Of course, there are much more than just seven teams in Champions League contention for 2025/26 who missed out this season, but since seven is a lucky number and my fingers - and possibly your brains - are uninterested in an even lengthier list, we'll settle on lucky number seven (as an homage to Mariano Diaz, if you'd like). Chelsea Chelsea aren't so much of a feel-good story as they are an "Empire Strikes Back" kind of vibe. The Blues actually went ...
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The 5 best midfield transfer targets for Liverpool in summer 2025
26Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

The 5 best midfield transfer targets for Liverpool in summer 2025

Liverpool have become the best team in the Premier League again in 2024/25 under the leadership of new manager Arne Slot, but a lot of the groundwork for this great season was already put in place by Jurgen Klopp and the preceding regime at Anfield. Much of the improvements were done in the middle of the park, with Liverpool bouncing back from a Europa League finish to legitimate Premier League title contention in 2023/24 after the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Granveberch - though Gravenberch wouldn't break out until this season under Slot. Despite a bevy of midfield upgrades, Liverpool are still in the market for another star or two to further boost their personnel in midfield as they look to capture the near impossible under Slot - a tr...
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Where does Nicolas Jackson rank among the Premier League’s best strikers in 2024/25?
26Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Where does Nicolas Jackson rank among the Premier League’s best strikers in 2024/25?

Chelsea are back in the Champions League conversation for the first time in the Todd Boehly era, as new manager Enzo Maresca has guided the Blues to their best start in years, coaxing bounce-back seasons from a couple of key transfer investments. Midfielder Moises Caicedo's rebound as one of the world's best has been the most striking, but Nicolas Jackson's newfound consistency has been just as impactful of a storyline at Stamford Bridge. This weekend, Jackson added a seventh goal to his Premier League tally, as he proved decisive with yet another fine all-around performance for the Blues in a 2-1 win over Maresca's former employers, Leicester City. In the spirit of Jackson's improved displays in the 2024/25 season, let's take a look at where the Chelsea star ranks in comparison t...
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31Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Grading every summer 2024 transfer made by Leicester City

In an effort to stay up in the Premier League this time around, Leicester City had one of the most active summer transfer windows of any team in the top flight, investing heavily in a few players while signing a handful of more bargain additions - or loans. At the end of the window, Leicester City have a more balanced and well-rounded squad with the upside of having a few contributors who could explode for big 2024/25 seasons that could play a pivotal role in the Foxes avoiding the drop. Here is a grade for every major Leicester City signing of the summer 2024 transfer window. All prices are courtesy of Transfermarkt. DM Oliver Skipp, €23.5M Oliver Skipp is one of the most gifted young midfielders in English football, but the 23-year-old never quite took off at Tottenham, failing t...
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Ranking the 10 best center midfielders of the 2010s
10Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best center midfielders of the 2010s

Throughout the 2010s, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi was the most heated debate on the lips of world football fans, but as time has passed and the discussions have become more retrospective, much of the discussion has moved towards the midfield. It isn't just Real Madrid and Barcelona fans getting into it about their elite midfields that dominated the 2010s, as Premier League supporters, Serie A fans, and, of course, the Bayern Munich faithful are wondering where their midfield stars stack up. When looking back at the best center midfielders of the 2010s, it is no surprise to see that the teams that dominated the Champions League that decade - Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich - also dominate this list. It's fair to say that this observation is yet another endorsement ...
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Ranking the 10 best Bayern Munich transfers since 2010
9Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best Bayern Munich transfers since 2010

Bayern Munich have turned winning into a tradition, to the point where their success is taken for granted more than at any other club in world football. One of the best-run organizations in professional sports, Bayern's excellence has recently been called into question after a host of rash managerial decisions, poor signings, and dysfunctional executives. But Bayern's track record of success in the 2010s decade speaks for itself, and looking at their list of transfers over the last 15 years provides a clear example of why they achieved consistent Champions League success and perennial Bundesliga dominance. Here are the 10 best transfers in Bayern Munich's recent history since 2010, ranked in order. 10. Leon Goretzka, CM Leon Goretzka helped lead Schalke to an unlikely second-pla...
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