Mr. Stateside, Zack, is back from hiatus to deliver the Quarter-Season Report Card for the Premier League! With 10 games down, we dive into the teams shocking the league and the giants sinking fast.
Is Parity Real? Liverpool and Man City are fighting for the top, but the real story is the rise of Sunderland and Bournemouth, two teams with limited European history now battling for a top-five spot. Zack asks if these "Cinderella" clubs can sustain their pace against the Premier League's rich traditional powers.
Highlights:
Arsenal’s Unbreakable Defense: The Gunners are on a historic run, conceding just three goals in ten PL games and achieving something no English team has before: ZERO goals conceded across all competitions in October (6 wins!). Zack compares the Saliba-Gabriel fortress to the 1985 Chicago Bears defense and explains why Arsenal now has an 81% chance to win the title.
The Relegation Delegation: We check in on the bottom three fighting for survival: Wolves (suffering a massive player exodus and winless after 10 games), West Ham (dealing with a post-European hangover and a leaky defense that’s conceded 21 goals), and Nottingham Forest (the biggest underachievers, plagued by managerial chaos and three different coaches this season).
The American-Sized Awards Show: We hand out major Quarter-Season accolades, including MVP for Erling Haaland (the Patrick Mahomes of the EPL), Offensive Player of the Quarter to Antoine Semenyo, and the "Comeback" Player to Sunderland's field general, Granit Xhaka.
The Final Ball: VAR & Simulation Zack wraps up with a furious take on how officiating in the EPL is starting to mirror the controversies of the NFL. He calls out VAR's inability to provide clarity and criticizes the spread of "swan dives" and simulation—even among NFL stars like Travis Kelce and Josh Allen—demanding both leagues penalize this behavior.
Get ready for a great pod! The guys gather together and discuss (not quite throw down in a heated debate) Premier League player, picking the top and bottom three most impactful badge-wearers in the Premier League. From an unstoppable (Haaland) goal machine to a veteran defender (Virgil) still playing at a legendary level, they cover the league's heavy hitters. But it’s not all sunshine and trophies—they also get into the players whose on-field antics are more of a liability than a highlight reel. This episode is packed with big takes and big energy! And James Milner will be in the last place you expect.