Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of March 14-15
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here). Here, we'll rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea all messed up in one competition or another, allowing for several big moves and lots of changes throughout. We have two new entries to sink our teeth into, too.
Remember: Form over the past six weeks or so is taken into account, with the most recent result being the biggest factor in changes of placement. It's also cumulative, so some teams such as Marseille 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!
Dropping Out
1 of 26
Dropping Out
Galatasaray: A draw with Istanbul Basaksehir sees the Aslan drop out.
Tottenham: The 3-0 loss to Manchester United was truly, truly awful.
25. Manchester United
2 of 26
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
Welcome back to the big time, Manchester United.
A 3-0 whipping of Tottenham Hotspur this weekend showcased the Red Devils at their very best. It was their strongest performance since they smashed Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford in September.
Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling...the list of superb performers goes on and on. Three league wins in a row, including this excellent result, lifts United back into the top 25, despite their FA Cup exit last Monday.
24. Southampton
3 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +1
Southampton deserve commendation for their brilliant performance against Chelsea this weekend, securing a 1-1 draw in a topsy-turvy game.
Graziano Pelle was finally dropped, and it paid dividends, with the Saints flowing forward and playing neat football off Shane Long, Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane. They could only score one goal, though, and failing to capitalise on their dominance led to the points being shared.
Morgan Schneiderlin was monstrous.
23. Zenit St. Petersburg
4 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: -4
Zenit St. Petersburg steamrolled Torino in the Europa League last week, beating them 2-0 and reducing the Italian club's chances of progressing significantly.
But the weekend match against Torpedo Moscow was marred by ugly scenes—Hulk was racially abused—and Andre Villas-Boas hit out at the state of Russian football after the 1-1 draw, via the Daily Mail:
"It's a disgrace to football, it's a disgrace to the public. That's something that shouldn't happen."
The result itself is a damaging one. Although Zenit look good for the Russian Premier League title, domestic slip-ups are punished in our top 25. The standard in Russia is hardly superb.
22. Villarreal
5 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: -5
Villarreal are tumbling.
A 3-1 home loss to Sevilla in the Europa League—a team recently evicted from our top 25 due to inconsistent form—was followed up by a 0-0 draw away to Almeria.
Eric Bailly returned from injury and dominated, but it now looks as though Marcelino Toral's calculated resting of Denis Cheryshev and Co. for Europe is backfiring.
21. Manchester City
6 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: -5
Manchester City drop harshly after failing to win yet another game. The title race in the Premier League is pretty much done, and all eyes are on Manuel Pellegrini and whether or not he can save his own job.
An away tie with Barcelona beckons, where the Citizens need to turn a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium into a convincing win at the Camp Nou to progress to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Does anyone realistically believe that's happening?
20. Lazio
7 of 26
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
With five wins in a row under their belts, you might say this selection has been a long time coming. The issue is it's difficult to know if you can trust Lazio. They've done this before, then underwhelmed.
Felipe Anderson is attracting attention for all the right reasons, and his brace led the capital club past Torino in Turin this weekend. Lazio are in third, breathing down the necks of an out-of-sorts Roma side.
19. Napoli
8 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: -1
Roma lost, opening up a golden chance for Napoli to take advantage and seize second place in Serie A, but Rafa Benitez's men failed too, losing 2-0 to Verona. Luca Toni, the timeless wonder, scored both goals.
With Lazio surging, not only threatening to take second in the league but also a spot in our top 25, it remains to be seen which of Napoli and Roma are ready to pull their socks up and sort out their season.
The good news, we suppose, is that the Partenopei beat Dynamo Moscow last week and look good to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
18. Marseille
9 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: +3
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Marseille and Lyon shared a goalless draw at Stade Velodrome last Sunday, and the result keeps OL top of the table and OM in third.
"Four points behind Les Gones, Marcelo Bielsa's men still have faint title hopes. However, much now depends on their home clash with PSG early next month. Nothing but a win will do for Marseille in Le Classique, but four points is a much harder gap to make up on Lyon than PSG's two-point deficit."
17. Bayer Leverkusen
10 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +6
Bayer Leverkusen are firmly back on track, torching Stuttgart 4-0 on Friday evening and getting themselves ready for a clash with Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League this week.
Josip Drmic and Brazilian left-back Wendell impressed to ensure Roger Schmidt's men continue their winning streak, and they remain in touching distance of third place in the Bundesliga, seemingly ready to overtake Borussia Monchengladbach.
16. Fiorentina
11 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: +4
No Mohamed Salah, yet still a party? Vincenzo Montella pulled off a stunning feat on Monday: rest players and win a game—the much-talked about, yet rarely achieved managerial move.
With Salah, Mario Gomez, Joaquin and more missing from the starting XI, Fiorentina beat Milan 2-1 to maintain their push in Serie A and prioritise the Europa League on Thursday.
Last week they drew with Roma in Europe.
15. Valencia
12 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: None
Valencia are third in La Liga. We repeat, Valencia are third in La Liga.
A 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna, coupled with the team above's disappointing draw has seen them elevated to the spot just below the classic Spanish duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Will it last?
14. Monaco
13 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Monaco warmed up for their Champions League last-16 return leg with Arsenal in fine style.
"Les Monegasques scored three goals for just the fifth time in all competitions this season in a 3-0 win over Bastia, but it was the second consecutive game in which they have netted three and completes a prolific double over Bastia as well.
"Currently fourth in the table with a game in hand over their rivals for the final European qualification place, a win over Montpellier in that rearranged game would see Leonardo Jardim's men go one point behind third-placed Marseille. A late title bid is not beyond possibility at this point, but that all depends on Lyon and PSG's form."
13. Atletico Madrid
14 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: -5
Going four games without a win and three domestic draws in a row, Atletico Madrid are trending the wrong way ahead of their crunch clash against Bayer Leverkusen this week in the Champions League.
The cause against Espanyol was hardly helped by the fact that Miranda got sent off just before half-time. In fact, they did well to grind out a draw and a clean sheet.
But slipping to fourth in La Liga is a problem, and Diego Simeone needs to sort it out soon.
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:
"What should have been a great week in PSG's history under Qatari ownership came to a miserable end in Bordeaux. Just days after heroically securing their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea (3-3 on away goals), Les Parisiens were unable to get themselves up for their trip to Stade Chaban-Delmas and lost 3-2.
"Laurent Blanc's disappointment at his players' failure to take another golden chance to put Lyon under pressure and make up the ground at the top of Ligue 1 was compounded by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ill-advised rant at referee Lionel Jaffredo. With a jam-packed calendar coming up in April, his potential absence could prove costly in their bid for glory on all four fronts."
11. Benfica
16 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: None
Benfica have won their last six games in a row, and this weekend, they dispensed with Braga 2-0 in a controlled, measured fashion.
Eliseu and Jonas scored the goals to keep the Eagles four points clear at the top of Liga NOS. FC Porto must be running out of faith that their rivals will slip up.
10. Liverpool
17 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: +3
Liverpool's victory over Swansea City on Monday night made it five in a row in the Premier League. The Reds continue to march upon the top four and bear down, intent on dragging Manchester United down.
The game itself didn't exactly go to plan—the Swans dominated the first half and really threatened in the second—but that "way" of winning emerged, and Jordan Henderson's fortuitous, deflected effort settled the game.
Up next? United at home.
9. Lyon
18 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: +1
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Lyon remain top of the pile in Ligue 1, but only just. A 0-0 draw away at Marseille means that Les Gones emerge from a tricky run of away fixtures with a two-point lead, and that is as good, if not better, than they could have hoped going into it.
"One win, one draw and one loss will arguably have satisfied Hubert Fournier, and they are now into an easier run towards the end of the season. With their lead at the top still intact, the Ligue 1 title is now Lyon's to throw away.
"Could there be another twist in this title race between now and May 23, though?"
8. FC Porto
19 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: +1
With Jackson Martinez out and goalkeeper Fabiano receiving his marching orders after just 12 minutes against Arouca, you'd have forgiven FC Porto for crumbling...but no! Vincent Aboubakar did the damage in his colleague's absence, and the Dragons ground out a 1-0 win.
Last week they destroyed Basel 4-0 at the Dragao, with Yacine Brahimi among many who impressed.
7. Real Madrid
20 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: -3
Real Madrid recovered from their funk to beat Levante 2-0 this weekend, but there are still plenty of issues underlying Carlo Ancelotti's season.
The midweek loss to Schalke at home was shocking. It was enough to grant passage to the Champions League quarter-finals, sure. But conceding four in your own stadium?
At least Gareth Bale ended his goal drought this week.
6. Chelsea
21 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: -3
If the Paris Saint-Germain performance last week didn't raise any eyebrows, the draw against Southampton will have. Yes, Chelsea were banging on the door late on and were close to snatching the win, but the first half was absolutely dreadful.
Two consecutive draws against PSG and Saints aren't bad results, as both are good teams, but the performances are worrying. Nemanja Matic has struggled since returning.
5. Wolfsburg
22 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: +2
Kevin De Bruyne is having himself a season. With his goal and assist during Wolfsburg's 3-0 weekend win over Freiburg, he moved onto a combined tally of 14 for the campaign, per WhoScored.com.
Die Wolfe are on the home stretch and are on the verge of securing Champions League football for next season. But will they be able to keep their world-class playmaker?
4. Arsenal
23 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: +2
One hell of a week for Arsenal ended in their demolishing of West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Previously, they'd beaten Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford to book another Wembley date.
The 3-0 win over the Irons showed Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and others at their best—an encouraging sign, given they must turn a two-goal deficit against Monaco around at the Stade Louis II next.
3. Juventus
24 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: +2
All roads lead here for Juventus. If they overcome the challenge of Borussia Dortmund this week in the UEFA Champions League, they'll reestablish themselves as a European force.
Alvaro Morata staked his claim for a starting spot in Westphalia on Wednesday by coming off the bench to score the winner against Palermo in Sicily this weekend.
Juve move into third—a season high—thanks to Chelsea, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all slipping up.
2. Barcelona
25 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: -1
It may seem slightly harsh for Barcelona to be knocked off the top spot after winning in La Liga, but Bayern Munich's devastating results merit the No. 1 position.
Barca have the chance to prove us wrong on Wednesday when they play Manchester City. They hold a 2-1 lead on aggregate and will be looking to get the job done early at Camp Nou with a goal.
The 2-0 victory this weekend over Eibar was routine.
1. Bayern Munich
26 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: +1
No Arjen Robben, no Franck Ribery? No problem for Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. They smashed a strong Werder Bremen side 4-0 away from home, just days after destroying Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 in the UEFA Champions League.
Die Bayern are starting to rack up some truly astonishing results now, and that makes them a fearsome beast. The scorelines are starting to match their performances. Best of luck to anyone who faces them in the quarter-finals.
They move to the top as a result of their dominance.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
