European Club Rankings After August 18-21 Matches
Finally, all of Europe's top leagues are back.
The past weekend was the first time this season in which all five of the continent's top divisions were fully in play. We were able to judge them all in competitive domestic action and get a feel for how prepared and strong they are.
Some teams, such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, passed the first test with flying colours; others, such as RB Leipzig and Villarreal, did the opposite.
The rankings are a season-long measurement of clubs, just like last term. They track teams throughout 2017/18, taking into account results from all competitions.
Teams that have lost the fewest games naturally rank higher—though the strength of opposition in any loss is considered—and Champions League form and presence are used as tiebreakers for those with similar records.
20-16
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20. Sevilla (-1)
Not everyone's opening league fixture was filled with joy: Sevilla dominated possession and went one up against Espanyol, but an error led to an equaliser and Ever Banega was sent off on his second debut.
19. Chelsea (+1)
A vital victory for Chelsea this weekend in impressive, gritty circumstances against Tottenham Hotspur. It's only enough to lift them up one place, though, as they're already playing catch-up and waiting for others to lose games.
18. Lazio (Stay)
Drawing with newly promoted SPAL isn't a great look, but Lazio still have that glorious Coppa Italia victory over Juventus to keep them afloat.
17. AS Roma (-1)
Roma can consider themselves unfortunate to move down one. They won their opener—a tough fixture at Atalanta—but some of their Serie A colleagues impressed even more and have surged above them.
16. Tottenham Hotspur (-6)
It's the FA Cup semi-final all over again. Tottenham dominate against Chelsea and see lots of the ball, but they can't find a route to goal. Even the one they did score was headed home by Blues striker Michy Batshuayi.
15-11
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15. Arsenal (-4)
What is it about Arsenal playing away to Stoke City? It's so often the harbinger for doom for them. It must be said the Gunners were good value for at least a point here, but the result shows a big fat "L" regardless.
14. Inter Milan (New!)
Inter looked good on their first outing under manager Luciano Spalletti. A 3-0 win over Fiorentina is an excellent result, and there can be no doubts over Ivan Perisic's fitness or mindset; the Croatian put in an unbelievable performance.
13. AC Milan (+4)
Milan have already won four games this season and are yet to concede a goal. Granted, early Europa League knockout rounds and Crotone on the first Serie A day don't provide huge tests, but in terms of building confidence, this is the right way to do it.
12. Liverpool (+3)
Since our last ranking, Liverpool have beaten TSG Hoffenheim 2-1 in Germany, then rotated the squad heavily and defeated Crystal Palace (a bogey side for them) 1-0. Quietly, that's a good week.
11. Atletico Madrid (-5)
Atletico have started this season in the same, disappointing fashion they did the last: drawing with a newly promoted side. Their fighting spirit must be given due credit—Antoine Griezmann was sent off and they still managed to score two to nab a point—but Girona away is 2-0 win territory if you're serious about a title charge.
10. Manchester City
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Last Week: 8th
Movement: -2
Despite playing over half the match with 10 men, Manchester City still dominated against Everton and should have converted their single point into three.
It's a measure of how overwhelming they can be that even without Kyle Walker, they had the Toffees hemmed in, enjoyed 65 percent of the possession and managed nearly three times the number of shots as their opponents.
If only the finishing had been up to scratch.
9. Manchester United
4 of 12
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +3
Manchester United are top of the Premier League table, have scored eight and are yet to concede. Jose Mourinho is already attempting to quell the flames of expectation as hopes for the season soar.
It should be noted that United had the same tally after two games last season, and that Manchester City won their first 10 straight—but both clubs eventually disappointed in their finish. It's a long old season, as they so frequently say.
But the manner of United's two wins so far has been impressive, and it hints at a different beast compared to last season.
8. Napoli
5 of 12
Last Week: 13th
Movement: +5
Napoli took Verona apart on Sunday. You got the impression they could score whenever they wished, and the opposition were powerless to stop it.
In the end, they slowed off at 3-0 and conceded late when Elseid Hysaj gave away a penalty and was sent off. But the result was never in doubt, and we saw the Partenopei deliver their fluid footballing best at times.
It was exciting to see that same template in place with some slightly different options from last season: Arkadiusz Milik, Amadou Diawara and Vlad Chiriches all came in for last season's "regular" starters and impressed to varying degrees.
7. Monaco
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Last Week: 9th
Movement: +2
Radamel Falcao scored his fifth Ligue 1 goal of the season on Friday as Monaco beat Metz 1-0. The Colombian took advantage of some statuesque defending and even worse goalkeeping to prod home late on.
The wins haven't been quite as convincing for Les Monegasques so far this term—that is to say, they haven't routinely been by four of five goals—but they are coming. Nine points from nine puts them second in the Ligue 1 table, trailing Paris Saint-Germain only due to goal difference.
6. Juventus
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Last Week: 6th
Movement: None
Juventus beat Cagliari 3-0 on Saturday in a relatively simple exercise of dominance, but they still had to rely on the legendary Gianluigi Buffon to bail them out of a small scare.
The Italian goalkeeper sprang forward to save Diego Farias' penalty with the score still at 1-0, and minutes later Paulo Dybala was set loose on goal by a beautiful Miralem Pjanic pass to make it two.
Blaise Matuidi entered the fray to make his debut for the Bianconeri in front of a pleased home crowd, completing a wonderful evening's work for Max Allegri and Co.
5. Barcelona
8 of 12
Last Week: 5th
Movement: None
Barcelona began their league campaign with a 2-0 win over Real Betis, easing a few early concerns over how they will fare this season post-Neymar.
Lionel Messi was restored to a centre-forward (or false-nine) role to an extent, and in the absence of the injured Luis Suarez, he performed well, striking the woodwork twice and generally wreaking havoc.
One storyline to watch for: the (eventual) emergence of Sergi Roberto this season. He was everywhere on Sunday evening, netted the second goal, and his runs from midfield were super. Played in his normal position, he might well flourish from here.
4. Borussia Dortmund
9 of 12
Last Week: 7th
Movement: +3
Borussia Dortmund put on a show of utter dominance on Saturday, beating Wolfsburg into submission and snatching first place in the Bundesliga for the week.
They clocked up 71 percent of possession and netted three goals, with Christian Pulisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finding the net—just as they did in the DFL-Supercup.
"This is going a lot better than anticipated," BVB writer Lars Pollmann tweeted—referring not just to the game on the day but also to the entire upcoming season under new coach Peter Bosz.
3. Bayern Munich
10 of 12
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: None
Carlo Ancelotti will have breathed a huge sigh of relief following Bayern Munich's opening victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night, as the 3-1 scoreline did not reflect the game.
Die Roten took advantage of some horrific marking and tracking to jump ahead in the game, with Niklas Sule netting on his league debut for the club, but they were put under some immense pressure later on and had their goalkeeper to thank for saving the points.
It looks like Sven Ulreich has been learning starfish saves from colleague Manuel Neuer.
2. Paris Saint-Germain
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Last Week: 2nd
Movement: None
Paris Saint-Germain ripped Toulouse to shreds on Sunday, with Neymar playing a starring role; the Brazilian scored two and assisted three (including the penalty Edinson Cavani converted) in a 6-2 win.
Towards the end of the game, he began having fun, pulling off insane dribbles—one of which led to a great goal—and beating opponents with rainbow flicks. Not sportsmanlike but entertaining.
It would have been a perfect night had Marco Verratti not got himself sent off for two bookable offences.
1. Real Madrid
12 of 12
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
Real Madrid opened their 2017-18 La Liga campaign with a 3-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Riazor on Sunday.
On paper it looks like plain sailing—and after a while it became that—but Los Blancos were put to the test early on and had Keylor Navas to thank for his heroics in denying Florin Andone twice from one-on-one situations.
Sergio Ramos started the season as (we can only presume) he means to carry on: getting red-carded in the closing moments after somehow avoiding the same fate 40-odd minutes earlier.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
