European Club Rankings After Opening Weekend of Competitive Games
The 2017-18 domestic seasons have begun across Europe. Ligue 1 commenced at the weekend, with Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco starting the campaign with victories, while England, Germany and Italy have all hosted their inaugural cup opener.
With the action returning thick and fast, it's the right time to reintroduce our European Club Rankings and assess the continent's top teams, ordering them in accordance with how strong they appear at this point.
This edition is more of a pre-assessment—most haven't kicked a competitive ball yet—so squad strength, transfer activity and managerial switches factor into the judgement of a team.
For example, Inter Milan became stronger just for hiring Luciano Spalletti—who led AS Roma to an 87-point haul last season—while Monaco, having lost a number of star players, look significantly weaker than they did in May.
We'll update the rankings every week from here in accordance with results and performances, but for now he's a pre-season table-setter to sink your teeth into.
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20. Inter Milan
Inter have recruited three very good players this summer—Matias Vecino, Borja Valero and Milan Skriniar—but their most important acquisition is manager Spalletti. After presiding over two goal-filled, successful years with Roma, he has now set about the task of restoring one of Italy's great clubs to glory.
19. AC Milan
Milan's summer overhaul has been an incredible story—in our eyes, they've had the best window of any team in Europe—and the squad they have on paper is amazing. Will it jell together? Will it be able to crack the Champions League spots and deliver success in Europe?
18. Sevilla
Sevilla have appointed Eduardo Berizzo in the wake of Jorge Sampaoli's departure, and he's an interesting stylistic choice who boasts plenty of similarities to his predecessor.
But they've also lost sporting director Monchi, and no one can come close to his majesty in the market. Sevilla's business hasn't been as laudable as usual this summer. Could they be slipping?
17. RB Leipzig
Leipzig's task this season is not a simple one: They need to replicate 2016-17's success, pushing Bayern Munich even closer and bettering Borussia Dortmund again, while also managing Champions League commitments. Do they have the squad depth for it?
16. Arsenal
In theory, Arsenal have one hell of a front three in Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to call upon this season, and that should bring them success. They're probably a little light on quality in central midfield still, but most of the pieces are there.
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15. Liverpool
Liverpool's acquisition of Mohamed Salah could be a genuine game-changer, allowing them to outscore opponents on a weekly basis and not worry about the defence.
But it's bold to predict they can find that level of consistency, and the fact that the club is yet to sign a central defender or central midfielder this summer is a huge concern. Add that to the possibility of Philippe Coutinho going to Barcelona, and this could still go one of two very different ways for the Reds.
14. Manchester United
Unlike Liverpool, Manchester United have been pretty assertive in nailing down their targets. It's arguable they need a left-back still, but they've hauled in three starting players and are looking more like a Jose Mourinho team.
13. AS Roma
It feels as though Roma have got weaker over the summer. Several stars have been sold and the squad is not as good as it was last season, while losing Spalletti to Inter is a real shame.
Monchi has worked the market to secure some bargains, but until the Giallorossi secure a Salah replacement, they can't be considered one of the best 10 teams in Europe.
12. AS Monaco
Monaco finished last season's European Club Rankings in fourth place, but begin this term in 12th. They've recruited a slew of young stars again this summer, but they cannot be expected to repeat what the departed Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Co. did.
11. Chelsea
Chelsea begin the season outside the top 10. This may come as a surprise, but they have an awful lot of work to do over the next three weeks. Their squad is skeletal in numbers, and it seems unlikely they will manage success on multiple fronts in 2017-18 until that's fixed.
10. Tottenham Hotspur
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Tottenham Hotspur haven't made a single first-team signing this summer, but while that's being used as a stick to beat them with, they've actually done well to step away from the transfer madness at times.
You might say the only player they need is another right-back to rotate with Kieran Trippier—particularly given the Englishman hurt himself at the weekend—and what's required the most is for the team to start as quickly as they finished last season and not to surrender so meekly in the Champions League.
9. Napoli
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Like Tottenham, Napoli clicked into gear a bit too late last season to threaten for silverware, and they must focus on refinding that formula nice and early in 2017-18.
Their summer recruitment has been sparing, with Adam Ounas joining as a prospect and Mario Rui loaned in to add depth on the flanks. New additions don't often make much of an initial impact under Maurizio Sarri, anyway, given the amount of adaption required to suit the club's style of play.
The Partenopei must be taken seriously. They haven't lost a single key player, gave Real Madrid a game in the Champions League round of 16 last year and finished just five points off Juventus in Serie A.
8. Manchester City
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Our top-ranked English team is Manchester City, who also start this season as the bookies' favourites to lift the Premier League title, per Oddschecker.
Manager Pep Guardiola has spent big money on some excellent players, aggressively filling the holes in his squad and ruthlessly turfing out the deadwood on display. It's been quite the makeover, to be frank.
Ederson Moraes should make a massive difference between the sticks, while Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy are the best full-back pairing in the league. Guardiola has dropped a lot of cash, sure, but in doing so he's made his team a lot better.
7. Borussia Dortmund
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Borussia Dortmund showed glimpses of something seriously impressive on Saturday. Despite losing the Supercup to Bayern Munich on penalties, the makings of a vicious team playing to the tune of head coach Peter Bosz's tactical fiddle are there.
They pressed aggressively, formed a bold, high defensive line and scored a goal due to a Javi Martinez mistake forced by group pressure. If Bosz's ideas fully take hold early on, producing more moments like this, BVB could well improve on 2016-17's effort.
Keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele is crucial. The former is definitely staying, but will the latter be playing in Black and Yellow come September?
6. Atletico Madrid
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Not much has changed for Atletico Madrid for a simple reason: Their transfer ban has largely prevented them from adding to their squad, and that in turn has made them extremely reluctant to sell.
Antoine Griezmann is only sticking around because he didn't want to leave the club in a ditch, and that's a sentiment that should resonate with a few others in the squad. It's one of the benefits of the close-knit group Diego Simeone has built.
So Atletico are what they were last year—very good, better than most, but probably not good enough to outlast the best in La Liga and Champions League play.
5. Bayern Munich
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Bayern Munich proved on Saturday that pre-season results do mean nothing.
Much was made of the fact they lost five of their six summer games—even being booed off the Allianz Arena pitch at the Audi Cup—but come the time for competitive action, that was put squarely behind them.
Die Roten edged the play in the German Supercup final, scored twice at crucial moments and emerged the winners in a penalty shootout. They found form and held their nerve when it really mattered—just as you would expect them to.
4. Paris Saint-Germain
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Paris Saint-Germain in fourth? That's a lesson in what one or two game-changing signings can do for your stock as a club.
The acquisition of Neymar changes everything. Before, PSG were a group of good players missing that final piece to lift them into the elite conversation. Neymar is that piece; he changes the outlook on the French side completely.
The fact Dani Alves has been added can only help, too. Two world-class additions in a summer can be the catalyst for serious improvement—let alone the fact one of them is among the best three players in the world.
3. Barcelona
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So Neymar's gone. That's a problem, certainly. But Barcelona still have arguably the best No. 9 in the world in Luis Suarez and the best player in the world in Lionel Messi. The walls are hardly caving in.
We will all watch on with interest as Barcelona attempt to reload their squad using the €222 million fee received for Neymar. You get the sense they'll target one or two brilliant players, and from there, the outlook on Ernesto Valverde's squad could change completely.
For now, Barca sit in third. They're still an excellent side—one of Europe's best—without Neymar, but exactly how good they'll turn out to be in 2017-18 depends on the moves they make this month.
2. Juventus
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Juventus have lost Leonardo Bonucci this summer, and that should be sparking concern. Yes, they have Medhi Benatia and Andrea Barzagli to carry the load until Daniele Rugani blossoms, but not one of those three players is on the departed one's level.
They've also lost Dani Alves to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving a noticeable downgrade at right-back, too. That's half of what was the world's best defensive line gone in one summer.
Fortunately for the Bianconeri, almost every other top team appears similarly fragile in some way. Be it Atletico Madrid's inability to make signings or Bayern Munich's fragile confidence, every team bar one (our No. 1) seems flawed.
That means Juve, although weaker than at the end of the 2016-17 season, still sit pretty in second—the position they finished last season's European Club Rankings in.
1. Real Madrid
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European and La Liga champions Real Madrid are, perhaps unsurprisingly, top of the pile to begin the season.
They were clearly the best side in the world for almost the entirety of the 2016-17 season, and their successes come the campaign's end only rubber-stamped their dominance. They became the first team to retain the Champions League in the modern era and slammed a brilliant Juventus side in the final.
Now Los Blancos must repeat that feat—and add the Copa del Rey to their haul if they're being ruthless—and they have geared up for the season well.
The squad has reshaped itself a little, with James Rodriguez and Pepe departing, but good young Spanish talent has replaced them. They're still led by serial winners Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, have the best midfield in the world and a manager who brings it all together.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
