Power Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of February 14-15
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.
Manchester City finally won a game—kudos to them!—Bayern Munich roared back in style and Juventus slipped up. How does this affect the top order? We also welcome one new team into the fold as Augsburg drop.
Remember: Form over the past six weeks or so is taken into account, with the most recent result being the biggest factor in a change of placement. It's also cumulative, so some teams such as Roma and Arsenal have been floating in reasonably stable positions due to up-and-down form.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Honourable Mentions/Dropping out
1 of 26
Dropping Out
Augsburg: Merely flirting with the top 25, Augsburg drop out after losing to Werder Bremen.
Honourable Mentions
Manchester United
Borussia Monchengladbach
Sporting CP: A better team in 2015, that's clear. A recent draw stops them from entering the top 25.
Fiorentina: The Viola have a golden chance to prove their quality against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
25. Manchester United
2 of 26
Last Week: N/A
Differential: New!
It's difficult to believe when you watch them play, but Manchester United have sustained just a single loss in 19 games and sit third in the Premier League still.
A 3-1 victory over Preston North End on Monday set up a mouth-watering quarter-final FA Cup draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford, and that will be a true test of their and Louis van Gaal's "progress" over the past few months.
24. Tottenham Hotspur
3 of 26
Last Week: 22
Differential: -2
Mauricio Pochettino's men took the weekend off after being knocked out of the FA Cup in a previous round, and the players will have spent most of their time regretting a midweek loss to Liverpool.
Spurs went toe-to-toe with the Reds at Anfield and were drawing 2-2 in the second half, but a late lapse and a quizzical substitution from the gaffer allowed the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction.
Their stay in the Premier League's top four was short-lived.
23. Sevilla
4 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +2
A 3-0 win over Cordoba just about saves Sevilla from dropping out of our top 25. Manager Unai Emery shelved the nonsense of trying to shoe-horn Iago Aspas into his lineup and returned to what he knows works. The rest played itself out naturally.
Grzegorz Krychowiak's red card will be a concern given the stability he's given the midfield this season, but Los Rojiblancos have plenty of options and will not be short of bodies.
22. Villarreal
5 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: -2
It's difficult to understand Marcelino Toral's angle here. He rested Denis Cheryshev and Luciano Vietto, his two star forward players, against Rayo Vallecano and it backfired badly. They lost 2-0.
ESPN's Dermot Corrigan noted: "Villarreal's surreal run of 28 consecutive games scoring in each one is now over."
They weren't the threat we've become accustomed to without their key men, and a damaging loss sets them six points behind Valencia in fourth. They lost to Barcelona midweek in the Copa del Rey, and they've also got the Europa League to negotiate this week.
Time to buck up.
21. Roma
6 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: -7
Stop drawing, Roma! They drop sharply due to their seeming inability to win a game at the moment.
This was supposed to be the season in which the Giallorossi took another sizable step forward and challenge Juventus all the way for the Serie A title, but right now they look more likely to drop into third.
The UEFA Champions League stretched their squad to its limit and they're still recovering. A 0-0 draw with Parma this weekend marked five consecutive ties in the Italian capital.
20. Valencia
7 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: +1
Valencia moved to within three points of Atletico Madrid in third place in La Liga with a gritty 1-0 victory over Getafe this weekend. Alvaro Negredo scored the deciding penalty in the second half.
With no European distractions to speak of, Los Che are the favourites to go on and secure fourth place ahead of Sevilla, Malaga and Villarreal. Two of those three slipped up this weekend, allowing a small amount of breathing room between fourth and seventh in the table.
19. PSV Eindhoven
8 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: None
PSV Eindhoven continue to steamroll the Eredivisie. They sit 12 points clear at the top of the league after Ajax sustained two recent losses.
Taking 61 points from a possible 69 is unbelievable work, and while Phillip Cocu will be eager to play down suggestions this title race is done...it is.
18. Liverpool
9 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +5
Liverpool fell behind to Crystal Palace this weekend in the FA Cup, but Brendan Rodgers corrected his lineup mistakes in the second half and turned the score around.
We finally saw the Mario Balotelli-Daniel Sturridge connection, albeit only briefly, and the Reds did just enough to put their names in the hat for the quarter-final draw.
In midweek, the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in a pivotal match in the race for the top four.
17. Monaco
10 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: +1
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Although they did not play in Ligue 1 over the weekend because of a waterlogged Stade Louis II pitch, it was a good week for Monaco as they booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France with a 3-1 home win over Stade Rennais.
"Criticised prior to the clash for not scoring enough goals, Leonardo Jardim's men replied with two in the opening 11 minutes in the principality. Although their defence was breached for the second time in two games, they even managed a third in the second half."
16. Marseille
11 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Marseille's impressive run of 11 straight home wins was halted last Friday by a struggling Stade de Reims team. Marcelo Bielsa's men had to come from behind to take a 2-1 lead against Ligue 1's worst defensive side, before a late David N'Gog header secured a point for the visitors.
"A poor result for OM went unpunished by both Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, but Marseille appear to be fading fast. With no domestic or European cup distractions to blame, criticism of Bielsa's demanding methods has begun."
15. Napoli
12 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: -2
Napoli's superb winning run in Serie A draws to a halt on the island of Sicily. An improving Palermo side spearheaded by Paulo Dybala proved the undoing of Rafa Benitez's streak.
With Roma drawing once again, it stood a golden chance to close the gap to second again, but the Partenopei failed to take advantage. Next up on the calendar is a daunting trip to Eastern Europe to face Trabzonspor.
14. Southampton
13 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: +1
Southampton failed to break a stubborn, resilient West Ham side down on Wednesday evening—even despite the visiting goalkeeper Adrian getting sent off for handling outside the box. It represents the second consecutive home game in which Ronald Koeman's men have met a barricade of committed defenders intent only on stopping the opposition from scoring.
It's something the Saints are going to have to get used to and learn to beat quickly. Most teams will do this now when visiting St. Mary's Stadium, and if Graziano Pelle and Co. don't learn how to beat it, they won't make the top four.
13. Manchester City
14 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: +4
Manchester City beat Stoke City midweek in the Premier League 4-1, with David Silva, James Milner, Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri all proving their sheer class.
The Britannia Stadium is traditionally a venue the team have struggled at, but their second-half performance was as good as any they've managed this season.
They likely spent the weekend watching Middlesbrough, the team who knocked them out in the last round, tackle Arsenal in the FA Cup.
12. Paris Saint-Germain
15 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A disastrous weekend for Paris Saint-Germain was only salvaged by the fact that Lyon failed to win away at FC Lorient and were unable to open up a four-point lead at the top of Le Championnat. Les Parisiens, playing with a more or less full-strength team just three days before the visit of Chelsea, took a 2-0 lead before succumbing to two late goals to throw away two important points.
"To make matters worse, five players came off injured at Parc des Princes, leaving coach Laurent Blanc with a dilemma ahead of their key clash with Chelsea. Losing Lucas Moura and Yohan Cabaye could prove to be costly blows."
11. Lyon
16 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -2
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Lyon failed to capitalise on Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille's slips; they were held to a 1-1 draw by an excellent Lorient side last Sunday.
"Hubert Fournier's men still cannot win without top scorer Alexandre Lacazette and look weaker at the back without Milan Bisevac. With three away games in the next four coming up, Lyon cannot afford to drop any further points if they want to keep hold of top spot."
10. FC Porto
17 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: +1
Yacine Brahimi to the rescue! The Algerian has struggled for form in the past 50 days or so and was badly interrupted by a poor Africa Cup of Nations campaign, but FC Porto are welcoming him back at just the right time.
The Dragoes still trail Benfica by four points in the Liga Sagres but have a UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie against Basel this week in which they can underline their strength. It promises to be a fun few weeks!
9. Benfica
18 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: +1
Benfica beat Vitoria Setubal 3-0 twice in the space of the last week, asserting their absolute authority over Bruno Ribeiro's men.
Lima's brace ensured victory this weekend in the second bout and kept the gap between the Eagles and close rivals FC Porto at four points. They're also into the Taca da Liga final...where they'll probably face FC Porto.
It really is a two-horse kind of thing in Portugal!
8. Juventus
19 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: -3
Cesena and Juventus drew in the battle of black and white, though the result is far more damaging for the latter than it is for the former.
With Carlos Tevez unavailable, a striking duo of Alvaro Morata and Fernando Llorente took to the field in an effort to carry the load. Morata grabbed a goal and an assist to solidify his place in the pecking order; Llorente, unfortunately, failed to impress again.
7. Wolfsburg
20 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: +1
Game of the season? Probably. And not just in the Bundesliga either; across all of Europe, you're unlikely to find a more exciting, end-to-end battle in 2015.
Wolfsburg's 5-4 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, in which a 3-0 lead at half-time was pegged right back, was a wonderful spectacle. Bas Dost put on a poacherific clinic, and Vierinha excelled bombing forward from right-back.
6. Arsenal
21 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: +1
Arsenal dispatched Leicester City 2-1 with relative ease on Wednesday night before seeing off Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this weekend, 2-0. All in all, an efficient five days for Arsene Wenger's men and two valuable results.
Mesut Ozil has really come to life from a central position, and the club have welcomed back Alexis Sanchez after a short spell out. Santi Cazorla is in the form of his life, but you knew that.
5. Atletico Madrid
22 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -3
Just a week removed from thrashing arch-rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico Madrid laid an egg away to Celta Vigo—a team who are infamous for their inability to score.
Diego Simeone assumed all responsibility for the loss, blaming his own tactics, per Goal.com. Cramming Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres onto the pitch at the same time wasn't a strong move.
4. Bayern Munich
23 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: +2
It didn't take long for Bayern Munich to answer their critics.
They dropped five points in three games as the Bundesliga restarted in shocking fashion for Pep Guardiola's troops, but an 8-0 decking of Hamburg SV restored balance and normality to German football.
Arjen Robben, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski, among others, played insanely well.
3. Real Madrid
24 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: +1
Real Madrid maintained a one-point lead at the top of La Liga by beating a solid, inspired Deportivo La Coruna side 2-0 at home. It was another game in which they failed to wholly convince.
With Barcelona in remarkable form and scoring goals for fun, the pressure is weighing down heavily on Los Blancos as the world anticipates another slip-up shortly. They face Schalke in the Champions League next and need a statement victory.
2. Chelsea
25 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: +1
Chelsea took the weekend off after being dumped out of the FA Cup by Bradford City in the last round, but they did exert a severe amount of energy on beating a tricky Everton side last Wednesday.
On an evening where Manchester City finally won a game, it was important for the Blues to maintain a sizable lead at the top of the Premier League table, and they managed it thanks to a late Willian goal.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Barcelona have ruled the rankings for close to a month now and, after beating Levante 5-0 in epic fashion, won't be moving down this week.
Luis Suarez's bicycle kick in the second half somewhat overshadowed the fact that Lionel Messi bagged a hat-trick in his 300th La Liga game. It was another ominous performance from La Blaugrana—though they are mega rich, and Levante are on the verge of bankruptcy.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
