Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of January 24-25
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here). We rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
It's the final set before the Bundesliga teams join us for 2015, with the Eredivisie back in full swing and the FA Cup throwing up some major upsets in England. It's caused some big reshuffles; how has your team fared?
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Honourable Mentions
1 of 26
Liverpool: Drawing 0-0 to Bolton Wanderers at home is not good for your stock—even if you held, and outplayed, Chelsea in midweek.
Tottenham Hotspur: Legitimate dreams of a domestic cup double were dashed by a disappointing loss.
Lazio: Beating Milan is praise-worthy, but not enough to lift Lazio into the top 25.
Fenerbahce: Fener are on fire in the Turkish Super Lig and turning heads across Europe.
25. Ajax
2 of 26
Last Week: 22
Differential: -3
Ajax's 2015 started with a solid victory over Groningen but stuttered this weekend as they were held by a strong Feyenoord outfit.
Per WhoScored.com, De Godenzonen faced 20 shots and managed just 43 percent possession. The 0-0 scoreline and point gained flatters them—they were under the cosh for extensive periods.
Ajax drop, as everyone else around them won.
24. Manchester United
3 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: -4
It doesn't get any easier for Manchester United, who are fading fast in our power rankings. After surging back into relevancy over the December/Christmas period, their star is falling after another poor showing.
This time, Cambridge United were the lower-league outfit to give the Red Devils a torrid time and managed to hold them to a 0-0 draw on Friday night. It's the best result possible for The U's; a money-spinning replay at Old Trafford could transform the club's fortunes.
23. Villarreal
4 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +2
Villarreal were far from their best this weekend, but they squeezed past Levante courtesy of a Luciano Vietto goal. Results are important in a tight race for fourth in La Liga.
Mateo Musacchio reentered the lineup and kept a clean sheet, sparking a positive beginning to the post-Gabriel Paulista era for the Yellow Submarine.
22. Valencia
5 of 26
Last Week: 24
Differential: +2
Valencia won yet another big home game, this time against Sevilla, to validate the widespread belief that they have what it takes to finish fourth and chance their hand at the Champions League next season.
Dani Parejo was magnificent, while Andre Gomes proved he's well worth the high price tag paid. Los Che are moving in the right direction and look the most threatening of the chasing pack.
21. Sevilla
6 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: -2
A 3-1 loss to Valencia, albeit at Mestalla, pushes Sevilla temporarily out of the Liga top four. They have a game in-hand, so can leapfrog their Spanish rivals once again if they win it...but said game is against Real Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos still have their critics—their style of play is hardly superb to watch—but they remain an effective, stubborn outfit. They're not going anywhere anytime soon.
20. Monaco
7 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +3
Guess what? It was another clean-sheet victory for Monaco this weekend as they beat Lille 1-0 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Dimitar Berbatov got the goal, but just behind him the magnificent Yannick Ferreira Carrasco stole the show, playing and excelling in the No. 10 role.
Monaco are still trailing the title-chasers in Ligue 1, but closing in fast.
19. PSV Eindhoven
8 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: +2
PSV Eindhoven overcame SC Cambuur 2-1 this weekend to extend their lead at the top of the Eredivisie table. Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and the magnificent Memphis Depay secured the points.
Phillip Cocu's men look by far the most consistent and capable outfit in the division and should be strong favourites for the title. The only issue is, we can't quantify how good they are, grand scheme, until the Europa League kicks back in.
18. Bayer Leverkusen
9 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: -
One more week! One more week until the Bundesliga returns. Bayer Leverkusen are frozen at No. 18 throughout the winter break.
17. Southampton
10 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: -1
Graziano Pelle fired Southampton ahead against Crystal Palace early on Saturday, and the home crowd's expectations were set for a shower of goals on the way to another Saints win.
Instead, Alan Pardew's men fought back and claimed an exceptional 3-2 victory to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. It was especially sweet for Pardew, who was fired a few years ago from the post at St Mary's Stadium.
16. Marseille
11 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: -1
If there's one thing that will cost Marseille the title, it will be their away form. They've dropped off significantly from where they were in November, and the cause for that is their dreadful record away from the Stade Velodrome.
A 2-1 loss to Nice sealed a run of six away matches without a victory, including five (five!) losses. Marcelo Bielsa's men look tired—stop us if you've heard this before!
15. Napoli
12 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: +2
The mini-revival continues! Rafa Benitez's Napoli are closing the gap between themselves and Roma quickly after making a great start to 2015.
A 2-1 win against Genoa on Monday night, while not the most glamorous of results, secures another three-point haul from a side who were challenging the top three earlier in the season. Gonzalo Higuain, who grabbed a brace, is on fire; per WhoScored.com, he has scored 12 goals, the second-most in Serie A this season.
14. Roma
13 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: -2
Where is the attacking verve? The movement? The incisive passing?
These are the whispered complaints of Roma fans who have been shocked to see their club fall into a bit of lull. Rudi Garcia's men are predictable, slow and a little boring right now.
Opposing teams have cottoned on to that, and the result has been a nullification of the Giallorossi's best weapons. Three straight draws in Serie A, with the latest coming against Fiorentina, see Roma drop again.
13. FC Porto
14 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: -2
FC Porto fans were wiping their brows on Monday night as they watched Pacos de Ferreira beat Benfica. It meant that the Dragoes' loss to Maritimo the day before wasn't punished by the opening of a nine-point gap.
For all the quality and depth manager Julen Lopetegui can boast, he's been unable to stop his side experiencing damaging blips throughout the season. Porto can't afford any more between now and the end of the season if they have any hope of ripping the title from Benfica's grasp.
12. Paris Saint-Germain
15 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: +2
Paris Saint-Germain squeezed past Saint-Etienne on Sunday night in Ligue 1's prime event. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a questionably awarded penalty as Laurent Blanc's men got away with another drab performance.
Les Parisiens monopolise the ball but look exceptionally stale in possession; only Marco Verratti looked capable of changing the pace and providing the quality from midfield needed.
11. Benfica
16 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -2
Benfica wasted a huge chance to open up a nine-point gap at the top of the Liga Sagres on Monday night, losing 1-0 to Pacos de Ferreira. They played poorly as a team—that happens sometimes!—and the usual goal sources of Lima and Jonas failed to bail them out.
In accordance with the new-year shuffle, which saw the Eagles creep a little high for comfort, they drop this week.
10. Wolfsburg
17 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: -
One more week! One more week until the Bundesliga returns. Wolfsburg are frozen at No. 10 throughout the winter break.
9. Manchester City
18 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: -1
Manchester City laid an egg this weekend, losing 2-0 at home to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. This is a Boro side who are pushing for promotion and are led by Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford, but this still goes down as one of the greatest "Cupsets" of all time.
As a team the Citizens were dreadful, with Vincent Kompany, in particular, performing terribly for the second successive week. Luckily for Manuel Pellegrini, Benfica, Porto and Marseille—all close contenders in the rankings—all lost, while Wolfsburg are frozen, resulting in minimal change.
8. Lyon
19 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: +5
Lyon are our huge movers this week, and it's richly deserved. A seventh Ligue 1 win in a row, this time at home to Metz, put a four-point gap between themselves and the chasing Marseille and PSG.
Alexandre Lacazette scored his 21st goal of the season, and Corentin Tolisso excelled in midfield alongside Maxime Gonalons. Even Yoann Gourcuff, the scourge of the traditional Lyon fan, came on and grabbed an assist.
7. Arsenal
20 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: -
It didn't always look entirely convincing—in fact, there were times at which it seemed like Brighton could force a replay—but Arsenal eventually came away with a 3-2 victory at the Amex Stadium to progress in the cup.
The day will be remembered by many Gooners as the one on which Tomas Rosicky morphed into a magician and took centre-stage, playing no-look passes, scoring volleys and ripping the Seagulls' defence to shreds.
6. Chelsea
21 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: -2
After Ramires fired home to make it 2-0 to Chelsea against League One outfit Bradford City on Saturday, most Blues fans relaxed. Two up at home to a lower-league side? Jose Mourinho doesn't drop these.
But then the unthinkable happened: They lost the second half 3-0 to a team whose wage bill wouldn't even cover half of Cesc Fabregas' weekly wages. The Bantams have dumped out Premier League competition in the cup before, but Chelsea away? A 4-2 loss stands a truly embarrassing result.
5. Juventus
22 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: +1
"Hello, is that Beppe Marotta? It's [insert super club name here]. We'd like to buy Paul Pogba; how much will he cost?"
The conservative answer to that hypothetical question is now officially approaching the £100 million mark. The Frenchman's performance during Juventus' 2-0 win over Chievo this weekend was dazzling to say the very, very least.
4. Atletico Madrid
23 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: -1
Antoine Griezmann continued his remarkable season for Atletico Madrid this weekend, netting his ninth and 10th goals in La Liga during a 3-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. WhoScored.com clock him at 13 in all competitions.
A midweek loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, though, puts Diego Simeone in a position where he must attack in the second leg at the Vicente Calderon. Can los Colchoneros knock off Barca and Real Madrid in the space of a month?
3. Real Madrid
24 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: +2
Real Madrid escaped a world of embarrassment on Saturday when Gareth Bale rescued a dire situation with a last-minute winner at Cordoba.
In a tight race at the top of La Liga, dropped points are a no-no, but Cristiano Ronaldo's straight red card for kicking and punching opposition players threw los Blancos' lead into question. Luckily, their other £80 million winger decided it late on with a penalty.
They move up due to Atletico and Chelsea's losses last week.
2. Bayern Munich
25 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -
One more week! One more week until the Bundesliga returns. Bayern are frozen at No. 2 throughout the winter break.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: -
Barcelona crushed poor Elche on Saturday. Los Franjiverdes will be sick of the sight of Lionel Messi and Co. after being subjected to their torturous methods three times in the last month.
As if a 9-0 aggregate beating in the Copa del Rey wasn't enough, la Blaugrana beat them 6-0 at the Martinez Valero this weekend in yet another game where Neymar and Messi clicked.
In a week where Real Madrid once again showed frailties, Barca remain top of our rankings as their form under Luis Enrique continues to take a sharp upturn.
