European Power Rankings: Top 25 Teams on the Continent

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Question of the day, week, season and possibly all time: Where would you rank Chelsea?

On one hand, the Blues won the Champions League and FA Cup. On the other, they were dominated by literally every opponent they faced in the knockout stages.

And what's more, they finished sixth in the English Premier League.

So, yeah, this one is a toughie.

Fans of the West London club will no doubt place Chelsea at the top of any ranking. The Blues, after all, won Europe's most prestigious club competition this season.

Everyone else, however, would probably rank Chelsea lower

So, how do the European champs stack up in B/R's European Power Rankings? Read on to find out, and direct all comments below.

25. Napoli

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Previous: Not ranked

Results: Won 2-0 vs. Juventus at Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Coppa Italia final)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Napoli won their fourth Coppa Italia title (and first since the days of Maradona) by beating the previously unbeatable Juventus in the final.

It's good to see this group of players win a trophy. Now, will Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, Ezequiel Lavezzi and the rest stick together for another season?

24. Udinese

Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

Previous: 24

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Udinese finished third in Italy's Serie A and earned a spot in next season's Champions League qualifiers.

23. Valencia

Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Previous: 23

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Valencia finished third in La Liga, but they'll be a team in transition this summer.

22. Olympiakos

Photo: AP

Previous: 22

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Olympiakos won the league and cup double in Greece. I'm interested to see if they can do some damage in the Champions League next season.

21. Tottenham Hotspur

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Previous: 20

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Tough break on the Champions League berth. Now, can they keep the team together this summer?

20. Benfica

Warren Little/Getty Images

Previous: 19

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Benfica finished second in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and reached the Champions League quarterfinals—where they lost to eventual champions Chelsea—this season.

19. Lille

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Previous: 17

Results: Won 4-1 home to Nancy (league)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: We've seen the last of Eden Hazard in a Lille jersey. How will they replace him?

18. Schalke

Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Previous: 16

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Schalke finished third in Germany's Bundesliga and earned a spot in next season's Champions League group stage.

17. Basel

Photo: FC Basel

Previous: 21

Results: Drew 1-1 (a.e.t., won 4-2 on penalties) vs. FC Luzern at Stade de Suisse (Swiss Cup final); lost 2-1 at Servette (league)

Fixtures: Home to Young Boys, Wednesday (league)

Comments: Basel completed the Swiss league and cup double with their victory over Luzern in the Swiss Cup final. The season ends this week.

16. Atletico Madrid

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Previous: 18

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Now the second season—keeping Falcao in Madrid—begins.

15. PSG

Photo: AFP

Previous: 14

Results: Won 2-1 at Lorient (league)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: PSG came within an Auxerre victory (against Montpellier on Sunday) of winning the French Ligue 1 title.

Alas, the big infusion of money didn't bring glory this season, but don't count PSG out next time around.

14. Arsenal

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Previous: 15

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: It's all about that man—Robin van Persie. Can the Gunners hold onto him?

13. Zenit St. Petersburg

Epsilon/Getty Images

Previous: 13

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Zenit won the Russian Premier League for the second straight season.

12. Montpellier

Previous: 12

Results: Won 2-1 at Auxerre (league)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Congratulations to French champions Montpellier, who earned Ligue 1 promotion after the 2008-09 season, finished 14th last year, and claimed the title with Sunday's 2-1 win at Auxerre.

This is Montpellier's first top-flight league title.

11. Porto

Photo: Reuters

Previous: 11

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: The class of the Primeira, Porto won their eighth Portuguese league title in the last 10 years.

10. Manchester United

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Previous: 10

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: You better believe Sir Alex Ferguson will reload this summer. Losing the title hurts enough, but to City?

9. AC Milan

Claudio Villa/Getty Images

Previous: 9

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Last week, I neglected to mention that AC Milan won the Dubai Challenge Cup in January.

Silly me.

8. Bayern Munich

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Previous: 6

Results: Drew 1-1 (a.e.t., lost 4-3 on penalties) vs. Chelsea at Allianz Arena, Munich (Champions League final)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Second in the league. Runners-up in the German Cup and Champions League.

For a club with Bayern's high standards, that's not good enough.

7. Ajax

Photo: AP

Previous: 8

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Ajax finished as Dutch champions after an absurdly successful stretch run. Now, we might see an exodus of top players.

6. Juventus

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Previous: 4

Results: Lost 2-0 vs. Napoli at Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Coppa Italia final)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Juventus fell just short of the Italian league and cup double, but, regardless, this season was a memorable return to glory for the Turin side.

5. Manchester City

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Previous: 5

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: City's fans, players and club officials are still basking in their title win. Good for them.

4. Borussia Dortmund

Photo: Reuters

Previous: 3

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: The only blight on Dortmund's outstanding season was a poor showing in the Champions League.

Here's saying they'll remedy that next season.

3. Chelsea

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Previous: 7

Results: Drew 1-1 (a.e.t., won 4-3 on penalties) vs. Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena, Munich (Champions League final)

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League, but won both the FA Cup and Champions League.

Roman Abramovich would be foolish to let interim manager Roberto Di Matteo go.

2. Barcelona

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Previous: 2

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Next: Vs. Athletic Bilbao at Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Friday (Copa del Rey final)

Comments: Barcelona won neither their domestic league nor the Champions League this season, but they did claim the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

They also still have chance to win Copa del Rey.

Not bad at all, if you ask me.

1. Real Madrid

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Previous: 1

Results: No new results

Fixtures: Season complete

Comments: Real won Spain's La Liga this year, dethroning mighty Barcelona in the process. Had they added a Champions League title to that, we'd be talking about a truly great season.

 

Follow @MikeCummings37