Power Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of November 8-9
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club power rankings, where we order the top teams on the continent based on early-season form and squad strength.
It was not a good week for English clubs, as Manchester City were held and Liverpool flunked their chance to re-enter our top 25 by losing to Chelsea at Anfield. There was also comedy in the Bundesliga, an injured referee in the Eredivisie and some topsy-turvy results in Spain.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Dropping out
1 of 26
Milan—Another failure to win sees our threats from last week realised.
25. Lazio
2 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: -2
Lazio's impressive unbeaten streak came screeching to a halt this weekend as they lost 2-1 to relegation flirters Empoli.
They'd only just entered our top 25 but now stand at risk of dropping out; there's pressure on their next result, as Napoli have now leapfrogged them in the Serie A standings.
24. Ajax
3 of 26
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Frank de Boer's men had some serious consistency issues earlier in the season but now look to have put the hardships behind them.
Their impressive 4-1 win away to Cambuur this weekend was crowned by an absolutely delicious team goal, and there was even entertainment for the fans as the referee came off injured!
23. PSV Eindhoven
4 of 26
Last Week: 24
Differential: +1
A PSV Eindhoven victory over Heracles at the Polman Stadion meant Phillip Cocu's men maintained a four-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie over Ajax after 12 games.
Luuk de Jong and Karim Rekik both scored as the away side came back from a one-goal deficit, striking the winner in the last minute of the game.
22. Bayer Leverkusen
5 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: -1
Roger Schmidt's Bayer Leverkusen have hit a rough patch of domestic form, failing to win for the second week. They were held at home to Mainz.
Despite the brilliance of Hakan Calhanoglu and reliable midfield play of Lars Bender, Bayer could not overcome a stubborn defensive setup. As a result, Leverkusen lose yet more traction in the Bundesliga table and lie sixth.
They may have won midweek in the Champions League via Son Heung Min's brilliance, but the inconsistencies closer to home are a concern.
21. Borussia Monchengladbach
6 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: -2
I don't even know what to use this space for—other than to celebrate/condemn Christoph Kramer's remarkable own goal, settling the game in Borussia Dortmund's favour at Signal Iduna Park this weekend.
Just as Borussia Monchengladbach were beginning to look like contenders for second place with Wolfsburg, Kramer delivered one of the most unbelievable moments in football to blemish the team's record and record their first loss of the season.
20. Lyon
7 of 26
Last Week: 22
Differential: +2
Hubert Fournier's Olympique Lyonnais side are the form team in Ligue 1 at present. Les Gones have won their last five consecutive games and are right in the thick of the early-season title battle at present after a 3-1 home win over EA Guingamp.
Alexandre Lacazette's incendiary form, with 11 goals and four assists in 13 appearances, has helped OL rise to third, and right now Fournier's men are just two points behind Championnat leaders Olympique de Marseille.
With the likes of the in-form Nabil Fekir complementing Lacazette in attack and a number of important players continuing to return from injury, things are looking extremely rosy at the Stade Gerland heading into this international break.
19. Marseille
8 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: -5
Marseille's 2-0 loss to bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique was OM's third defeat in their last four matches in all competitions. Marcelo Bielsa's men were excellent in the first half in the French capital but were unable to find the breakthrough and PSG eventually punished them.
While it is not all doom and gloom at the Stade Velodrome, it certainly does feel as if El Loco's limitations have been exposed. There is only one game plan, only one style of play, and while it might be good enough to beat most teams in Ligue 1, it will not be enough to beat the best as recent defeats to both Lyon and PSG have shown.
Bielsa's continued refusal to strengthen a leaky back line by incorporating outcast defender Matheus Doria into the side is also a particular source of frustration. Perhaps this situation can be remedied during the international break.
18. Zenit St. Petersburg
9 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: -6
Zenit falling.
Two losses in a row—yes, two losses in a row—for Andre Villas-Boas' men sees Zenit St. Petersburg tumbling in our power rankings.
The Russian outfit lost to Bayer Leverkusen at home in midweek in the Champions League, then fell to Terek Grozny back home this weekend. Ouch.
17. Valencia
10 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: -1
After beating Villarreal 3-1 at El Madrigal last week, it was a surprise to see Valencia held at home to Athletic Club. Ernesto Valverde's men are picking up their form in an obvious way but still seemed no match on paper leading up to the fixture.
The 0-0 draw saw Athletic's midfielders Ander Iturraspe and Mikel Rico excel in the defensive phase, suffocating the game for the hosts.
16. Wolfsburg
11 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: +4
Wolfsburg beat Hamburg 2-0 this weekend to extend their winning streak in all competitions to eight.
Kevin de Bruyne, Aaron Hunt and Luiz Gustavo—along with a very, very solid defence—are all in fantastic form, and manager Dieter Hecking has overseen his side's rise to second in the Bundesliga.
They're just four shy of Bayern Munich and look the second-best team in Germany right now.
15. FC Porto
12 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: -2
FC Porto dropped points away to Estoril in the Liga Sagres this weekend and, in the process, lost ground on Benfica in the title race. They are still the only team to remain unbeaten in Portugal's top order but are currently drawing too many games to keep up with a machine-like Eagles side.
The bright side is that Yacine Brahimi scored again and looks in terrific form.
14. Benfica
13 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: +4
Benfica extended their stay at the top of the Liga Sagres table by beating Nacional 2-1 away from home this weekend.
For the first time in a while, Anderson Talisca did not score in the victory, with Eduardo Salvio and Jonas stepping forward instead after an early Nacional goal put the hosts in front.
After securing their first UEFA Champions League win last week, and putting themselves in contention to qualify from the group, Jorge Jesus will be happy with a great week.
13. Southampton
14 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: +4
Southampton continued their assault on the Champions League places by beating Leicester City 2-0 at St Mary's Stadium.
Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama, Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand were among several impressive performers on the day, and the depth in the squad showed as Shane Long came on to score the winning goal(s).
As everybody else in the league slips, Ronald Koeman's men go marching on.
12. Sevilla
15 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: -1
Sevilla's mini-stutter in form continued as they failed to win for the second week running. A 1-1 draw at home to Levante, in which Grzegorz Krychowiak excelled once again but the forward line failed to string it together, is a disappointing result.
Unai Emery is chasing the top four in La Liga; he can't afford results like this in such a tight race.
11. Arsenal
16 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -2
Arsenal travelled to Swansea in the hope of continuing their strong Premier league form but fell to the South Wales side 2-1 in a drab showing.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez were among few bright spots for Arsene Wenger, but the focus turns to replacing the Frenchman after his tactics fell well short of the mark.
Even last year's studs, such as Aaron Ramsey, are not playing well.
10. Napoli
17 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: +5
Napoli continued their excellent surge toward the summit by beating Fiorentina 1-0 in Florence. Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal of the game, and credit must be given to Kalidou Koulibaly and Co. for holding firm.
The Partenopei are now just four points off Roma in second; the heat is on.
9. Manchester City
18 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: -2
Manchester City's latest disappointing result arrived in the form of a 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Bar Sergio Aguero and perhaps Joe Hart, none of these players are playing to their full potential.
Manuel Pellegrini will soon be turning his focus to the Champions League in the hope of getting six points from two games and saving his job in the process, but the Premier League campaign is still a mess.
8. Roma
19 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: +2
Roma laid down a marker for the rest of the season by beating Torino 3-0 at the Olympico this weekend.
This season has been plagued by inconsistencies—largely caused by the Champions League despite recruiting appropriate depth—but this result against a stubborn Serie A outfit will go a long way to restoring confidence.
Juventus need a challenge, and Rudi Garcia is presenting one.
7. Atletico Madrid
20 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: -2
Atletico Madrid sustained their first loss in more than a month as they fell at the hands of Real Sociedad at Anoeta. David Moyes' new team were too strong and too fast for Diego Simeone's charges.
Despite cross-city rivals Real Madrid winning on the day, Los Colchoneros are only four points off the pace after 11 games. It's been a quietly good season so far.
6. Juventus
21 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: +2
Carlos Tevez took over against Parma, scoring two goals (one of which was an absolute beauty) as Juventus beat the Serie A basement side 7-0 at home.
Max Allegri was able to bring on Alvara Morata and Kingsley Coman to give Fernando Llorente and Tevez a rest, signalling the immense squad depth he has—particularly in the striker department.
After surviving a scare midweek in the Champions League, the Old Lady can be happy with her work.
5. Barcelona
22 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: +1
Barcelona got back to winning ways by defeating Almeria 2-1 on Saturday. After falling behind to Thievy's early strike, Neymar and Jordi Alba corrected the deficit late on to give Luis Enrique a much-needed three-point haul.
Despite losing both games preceding the Almeria fixture, they are now just two points behind leaders Real Madrid in La Liga. Not bad for a "crisis," huh?
4. Paris Saint-Germain
23 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: -
PSG are back in form after their stuttering start to the season. Laurent Blanc's men have won all six of their matches in all competitions during the three-week period since the last international break.
Now they are just a single point behind Ligue 1 leaders Marseille and have already reached the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his return from injury for Les Parisiens against OM, and the Swede's availability once again is a big boost for Blanc.
3. Chelsea
24 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: -
Chelsea beat Liverpool this weekend to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table over Manchester City. Diego Costa was back on the goalscoring trail after returning from a hamstring injury.
The result all but confirms the gap in quality between the Blues and the chasing pack, and Jose Mourinho will now think he can rest players in domestic fixtures in order to focus on the UEFA Champions League.
2. Real Madrid
25 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -
Real Madrid continued their excellent run of form by winning their 13th game in a row in all competitions.
The 5-1 demolition of Rayo Vallecano saw Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all score from that base 4-4-2 formation that's been serving Carlo Ancelotti so well so far.
Los Blancos look ominously good.
1. Bayern Munich
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: -
Bayern Munich continued their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season and maintained a four-point lead over Wolfsburg by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0.
Thomas Muller scored an exceptional hat-trick and carried the load for the side, and Xherdan Shaqiri even managed to make a goalscoring cameo—such was the comfort of the result.
The depth of this squad is simply incredible; imagine having Dante as a back-up centre-back?
