Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of May 9-10
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here), where we rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
The first round of Europa League and Champions League semi-finals are finished, and Juventus, Sevilla and Barcelona emerged from them in strong positions. Less can be said about Bayern Munich, though, who tumble down after losing four in a row.
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 teams such as Lyon 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 section below!
Note: Rankings consider results completed prior to May 12.
Dropping Out
1 of 26
Just one this week: Roma. They lost 2-1 to the 2015 iteration of Milan, which is absolutely unforgivable.
25. PSV Eindhoven
2 of 26
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
In so many forms, it was the perfect way to say goodbye.
With the Eredivisie title already secured, PSV Eindhoven could be forgiven for simply going through the motions. But a five-game winning streak has put paid to any suggestions they may let up, and Memphis Depay appears determined to give the fans something to remember him by.
A 30-yard free-kick during the 2-0 win over Heracles should do the trick. The Old Trafford-bound Dutchman will be fondly remembered in these parts for decades to come.
24. Zenit St. Petersburg
3 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +1
Zenit St. Petersburg's 3-0 victory over FK Rostov, in conjunction with FC Krasnodar's feeble draw, allows Andre Villas-Boas' men to place one hand on the Russian Premier League title.
Hulk, Oleg Shatov and Jose Salomon Rondon scored the goals to all but gift Zenit the trophy, and they need just one more victory from their remaining three matches to rubber-stamp their achievement.
23. Sporting
4 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: -2
Sporting's impressive run of victories halted at four this weekend, but an away draw with Estoril, after a recovery from an early Seba goal, was enough to keep the Portuguese club ticking over.
William Carvalho is the star attraction, and Premier League eyes have been watching him carefully—Jamie Sanderson of Metro reported this year that Arsenal had even agreed a fee for him—but who else in the Sporting squad has impressed? Several young talents, such as Joao Mario, Jonathan Silva and Carlos Mane should be interesting suitors this summer.
22. Napoli
5 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: -4
Napoli have seemingly committed to being the yo-yo club of our Top 25 rankings, unable to decide if they're soaring or plummeting on a week-to-week basis.
A disappointing 2-2 draw at Parma—a club who have just 17 points this season—prevented the Partenopei from moving to within one point of Lazio in third, who lost. A 1-1 home draw against Dnipro in the Europa League is hardly the perfect result, either.
21. Saint-Etienne
6 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +2
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A 5-0 drubbing of OGC Nice last Sunday keeps AS Saint-Etienne in the hunt for the third and final UEFA Champions League spot, level on points with Olympique de Marseille and just two points behind AS Monaco.
Christophe Galtier's men have doomed Evian Thonon Gaillard and mid-table EA Guingamp left to play, and Les Verts should be able to pick up six points from those two games. If they can do that, they will push Marseille and Monaco right up until the very end.
However, they might have to settle for a UEFA Europa League place instead, with Champions League qualification depending more on Leonardo Jardim's men than Saint-Etienne.
"
20. Monaco
7 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: -3
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Marseille's late comeback to beat Monaco 2-1 at Stade Velodrome last Sunday means that Leonardo Jardim's men are not yet guaranteed to finish in the third and final Champions League qualification spot just yet.
Les Monegasques lead OM by two points with as many games left to play, but that final pair of contests comes against already relegated FC Metz and almost-safe FC Lorient.
All the principality outfit have to do is win those two fixtures, and they will be back in the Champions League again next season after their heroics this campaign.
"
19. Dynamo Kiev
8 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: +1
Dynamo Kiev have recovered from being knocked out of the Europa League by recording astonishing back-to-back 6-0 victories in the Ukrainian Premier League.
First they beat Hoverla, and now they've smashed Metalurg Donetsk too. Andriy Yarmolenko and Artem Kravets have been running riot of late.
18. Wolfsburg
9 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: +1
Wolfsburg stopped the slide!
A 3-1 win away to Paderborn was enough to retain second place in the Bundesliga as we enter the final two matches of the season. Borussia Monchengladbach would have overtaken die Wolfe had they not won, but Bas Dost's brace ensured his side's good season didn't go to waste.
The pressure is still on, and they'll likely need two wins to ensure second is theirs.
17. Manchester City
10 of 26
Last Week: 22
Differential: +5
Manchester City put the final nail in Queens Park Rangers' creaking, splintering Premier League coffin on Sunday with a remarkable 6-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov, Fernandinho...the list of excellent performances goes on. Even Eliaquim Mangala is beginning to play well!
That's four wins in a row for Manuel Pellegrini.
16. Bayer Leverkusen
11 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: -5
In what was, definitively, the biggest game of this past weekend, Bayer Leverkusen lost 3-0 to Borussia Monchengladbach and in doing so kissed goodbye to their automatic UEFA Champions League hopes. Roger Schmidt's men will have to go through the pre-qualifiers early in the 2015-16 season.
There's been little to split the two sides this season, so to see the scoreline unfold so categorically in one direction was a huge surprise. It's hardly back-to-the-drawing-board stuff, but with Borussia Dortmund likely to be a lot better next year, Leverkusen need to get the summer spot on.
15. Lyon
12 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: -5
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A surprising 3-0 loss away at Stade Malherbe Caen last Saturday saw Lyon's Ligue 1 title dreams go up in smoke. Barring an inexplicable PSG collapse, OL will have to settle for second.
Despite the disappointing nature of their title-bid implosion, Hubert Fournier and his players should still feel pleased with the way they pushed PSG so close for the crown this term. If Les Gones can avoid slipping any further behind Les Parisiens than they already are, they will have run the capital club closer than either Olympique de Marseille or AS Monaco managed to in their past two title triumphs.
Second place is as good as secure for Lyon, so they can begin looking forward to the Champions League, despite their disappointment at handing PSG the title.
"
14. Benfica
13 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: +1
Benfica beat Penafiel 4-0 this weekend, simply reminding us that they're in near-untouchable form domestically and don't look at all likely to drop the points FC Porto require them to to catch up.
The Brazilian contingent of Anderson Talisca, Lima and Jonas have accounted for an amazing 44 Liga NOS goals between them, per WhoScored.com, and it's their prowess in front of the net that will seemingly land them the title.
13. FC Porto
14 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: -1
Jackson Martinez made it 20 Liga NOS goals for the season during FC Porto's 2-0 victory over Gil Vicente. He's had one hell of a season, so prepare for numerous transfer links to your club.
Sadly for the Dragoes, they are still three points off Benfica in the table with time running out. They huff and they puff...but their opponents show no sign of letting up. It's very like Julen Lopetegui ends up trophy-less in 2014-15.
12. Borussia Monchengladbach
15 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: +4
What a win, what a seismic result for Borussia Monchengladbach!
The 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen hands Lucien Favre's men a sizable advantage in the race for an automatic Champions League spot. They will still harbour hopes of usurping Wolfsburg in second but can at least rest assured they're getting third.
Patrick Herrmann and Fabian Johnson, from the flanks, were devastating in this match.
11. Lazio
16 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -2
Lazio are the latest team to fall to an improving, quietly impressive Internazionale side. The 2-1 home loss to Roberto Mancini's men weakens their stronghold on a top-three Serie A spot.
With three games to go, they're just three points ahead of a Napoli side who are building up steam despite having Europa League distractions. Can Antonio Candreva and Co. see it through?
10. Bayern Munich
17 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: -4
Bayern Munich have lost their last four games in a row. We never thought we'd ever actually type that, particularly when Pep Guardiola was in charge and the club were at the peak of their powers.
Being taken apart 3-0 at the Camp Nou clearly pained Guardiola, and he needs to come up with a master plan to turn that deficit around. At the weekend a near-full strength side lost 1-0 at home to Augsburg.
9. Sevilla
18 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: +4
Sevilla came back down to earth a little this weekend with a draw away to Celta Vigo, but their stock remains high after what was a scintillating performance in the Europa League last Thursday.
Sevilla took Fiorentina apart 3-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan and turned in an irresistible performance to match. The right side of Vitolo and Aleix Vidal overwhelmed poor Marcos Alonso.
8. Paris Saint-Germain
19 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: +6
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"After destroying Guingamp 6-0 last Friday and following Lyon's 3-0 defeat away at Caen on the Saturday, PSG are now six points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with two matches left to play. Hubert Fournier's men were clinging to the hope that they would be able to usurp Les Parisiens at the summit on goal difference if the capital club lost a game, but now it is impossible to see Laurent Blanc's men failing to win the title.
Not only would PSG have to lose both games to relinquish top spot, they would need to do so heavily, with Lyon requiring an eight-goal swing to claim an improbable French crown. The capital outfit are close enough to touch a third consecutive Ligue 1 title, and winning Le Championnat would move them even closer to an unprecedented French domestic treble.
Winning the Coupe de France at the end of this month would then be the only remaining challenge this campaign.
"
7. Valencia
20 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: +1
Valencia will be kicking themselves—they had a 2-0 lead at the Bernabeu, and they let it slip!
In isolation it's a fantastic result, but in reality it looks like two points dropped and a chance to move within two of Atletico Madrid squandered. A brilliant performance only just about rewarded due to Real Madrid's profligacy and inefficiency in front of goal.
6. Real Madrid
21 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -4
Well, that didn't exactly go to plan. Carlo Ancelotti will be feeling the heat from above this week.
The Champions League semi-finals got off to a disastrous start, with a 2-1 loss in Turin to Juventus with Sergio Ramos flailing in central midfield, and the weekend saw their Liga title chase all but end as they drew 2-2 at home to Valencia.
Even worse, they were 2-0 down to los Che and missed a penalty to get back into it earlier in proceedings; it was a true self-destruct moment from the men in white.
5. Atletico Madrid
22 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: +2
Atletico Madrid drew for the second consecutive week, but their blushes have been saved after Valencia failed to win. They're still four clear in third place with two games to play.
Nine points off Real Madrid in second place, it's been something of a comedown year for Diego Simeone's men, but the fact they've managed to separate from the Valencia-Sevilla-Villarreal contingent is impressive—especially given their troubles in the league post-Champions League exertions.
Los Colchoneros move up thanks to those above them slipping up when it mattered the most.
4. Arsenal
23 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: -1
How on earth did Arsenal lose that one?
Dominant on the ball and in the midst of creating clear-cut chances, it felt as though the Gunners were destined to squeeze out a victory over Swansea City. But instead, a Bafetimbi Gomis goal hit them late on the counter.
It felt exceptionally similar to the loss they incurred at the Liberty Stadium earlier this season—it was even Jefferson Montero who again provided the cross—and proved how muddled their midfield becomes without Francis Coquelin in to protect.
3. Chelsea
24 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: +2
For the 30 minutes Chelsea looked bothered about playing on Sunday, they waltzed through Liverpool's midfield and caused the Reds plenty of problems. After they scored, though, they relaxed, and it became something of an exhibition performance.
Why? Because the Premier League trophy is secured, and the Blues have nothing to play for. Jose Mourinho awarded Ruben Loftus-Cheek with a start and has suggested Izzy Brown and Nathan Ake could play against West Bromwich Albion next week, as reported by Joe Prince-Wright of NBC Sports.
2. Juventus
25 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: +2
With the Scudetto confirmed as Juventus' for another season, Massimiliano Allegri redefined the meaning of squad rotation by resting all but one of his recent starters this weekend. Claudio Marchisio was the only man who featured in the Champions League win over Real Madrid and the weekend game, which they drew 1-1 with Cagliari.
Paul Pogba made a return to the XI and scored the opener, giving the Bianconeri boss serious food for thought ahead of his team selection in Madrid.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Barcelona separate themselves at the top of the rankings thanks to a near-flawless beating of Bayern Munich last week and a steady 2-0 Liga win at the weekend over Real Sociedad.
Lionel Messi turned it on at the Camp Nou against former manager Pep Guardiola, effectively dumping the Germans out of the Champions League. And with Real Madrid dropping points domestically, the title looks all but sewn up.
It's a good week to be a Barcelona fan.
Quotes obtained firsthand.
