Power Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of December 20-21
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings. We rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
Arsenal collapsed once again, disappointing in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool, while Paris Saint-Germain also ended a shocking December with another bad result. Wolfsburg, Villarreal and even West Ham United are trending the right way, though!
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Dropping out
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Dropping Out
Zenit St. Petersburg: The Russian Premier League has now commenced a long winter break. While we will be keeping Bundesliga clubs in the rankings, their break isn't for anywhere near as long.
Besiktas: The Turkish club didn't last long, picking up a damaging loss in its busy schedule.
Honourable Mention
Saint-Etienne: A dominant 3-0 win over Evian Thonon Gaillard ensures that Saint-Etienne finish 2014 on a high note in fourth place in the Ligue 1 table.
Still Missing
Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund
25. West Ham United
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Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
They've earned it. Sam Allardyce's West Ham deserve a spot in our top 25.
We did the final check (in person) this weekend. They crushed Leicester City in first gear, with Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll dominating once again.
With four wins from five and 31 points, the Hammers spend Christmas inside the Premier League top four.
24. Valencia
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Last Week: 23
Differential: -1
Valencia switched to a back three for the victory over Eibar, and although it was only a 1-0 scoreline, it was intriguing to see Nuno Santo mix things up.
The move involved playing Pablo Piatti and Sofiane Feghouli as wing-backs—an outlandish selection for such a guarded, defensive manager—and Paco Alcacer partnering Alvaro Negredo up front.
23. Villarreal
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Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Villarreal have been in phenomenal form, and with Zenit St. Petersburg dropping out for the next two months or so, it's the perfect chance to give them some limelight.
They've won five games in a row and have drawn level on points with Sevilla. Denis Cheryshev, Luciano Vietto, Jonathan dos Santos and more are all excelling on a regular basis.
22. Monaco
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Last Week: 25
Differential: +3
Monaco impressed again in a 1-0 away win over FC Metz this weekend, their fourth straight Ligue 1 win and sixth consecutive in all competitions.
Impressively, they have only shipped one goal during that time, and that solitary strike was the goal that took them to extra time in the Coupe de la Ligue against Olympique Lyonnais before winning the penalty shootout.
21. Ajax
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Last Week: 20
Differential: -1
Ajax squeezed past Excelsior Rotterdam this weekend, relying on super-sub goals in the dying stages to scrape a victory. Mike van der Hoorn and wunderkind Richairo Zivkovic did the damage late on.
De Godenzonen kept pace with PSV, who won as well, but remain four points off first place. This will be Frank de Boer's biggest challenge yet.
20. PSV Eindhoven
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Last Week: 22
Differential: +2
PSV Eindhoven won again this weekend, and it's beginning to look a little easy for them. Memphis Depay re-emerged after a slightly quiet month and grabbed a brace, and Phillip Cocu found goals from the bench to seal the win late on.
It's always felt, deep down, like Ajax are the strongest Eredivisie team regardless of a slightly slower start, but it may be time to reassess that opinion.
19. Sevilla
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Last Week: 19
Differential: -
Sevilla were scheduled to play Real Madrid this weekend but had to sit idly and watch their would-be opponents be crowned "world champions" of sorts.
Los Rojiblancos will resume action in January a game behind.
18. Bayer Leverkusen
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Last Week: 18
Differential: -
Bayer Leverkusen failed to overcome middling club Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend and in fact scraped a 1-1 draw thanks to Karim Bellarabi's late equaliser.
It means the gap between Bayer and Wolfsburg stands at six points, with Roger Schmidt's men on the wrong side of it. With defensive issues continuing to rear their ugly heads, there's no doubt this side is a step behind Die Wolfe in terms of progression.
17. Napoli
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Last Week: 21
Differential: +4
Napoli will be on cloud nine right now following their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana final.
At one stage, it genuinely felt like neither side wanted to win due to the sheer amount of spot-kicks being missed, but in the end, Kalidou Koulibaly's strike clinched it after Simone Padoin missed.
Another trophy for Rafa Benitez...
16. Lyon
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Last Week: 17
Differential: +1
A thumping 5-0 win over Girondins de Bordeaux rounded off 2014 in superb style for Lyon, who end the year in second place after an excellent last few months.
Hubert Fournier's men have really impressed in recent weeks, and their largest-ever away victory in Ligue 1 ensued that they deservedly finish the calendar year ahead of the likes of Paris Saint-Germain.
15. Manchester United
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Last Week: 13
Differential: -2
Manchester United's impressive winning streak in the Premier League stopped at six when they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa in Birmingham on Saturday. The Red Devils didn't play well, didn't create enough chances and ran into a determined Jores Okore and Ron Vlaar in the final third.
Louis van Gaal's men have been praised for eking out results with iffy showings over the last month, but they were bound to slip up at some point.
14. Paris Saint-Germain
13 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: -3
It has been a poor last few weeks for Paris Saint-Germain, and they deservedly finish 2014 in third place. A 0-0 draw at home to Montpellier handed Marseille and Lyon the chance to pull away from them in the Ligue 1 table, and both took their chances.
Coupe de la Ligue progress was secured with a win away at AC Ajaccio, but recent dropped points against Guingamp and Montpellier have seen PSG slip down the table. That loss away at Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League also contributed to a poor December for Les Parisiens.
13. Marseille
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Last Week: 15
Differential: +2
Olympique Marseille's excellent start to life under Marcelo Bielsa has been confirmed by the team's ability to end 2014 at the Ligue 1 summit.
After failing to take advantage of Paris Saint-Germain's slip after defeat at EA Guingamp recently, OM did not miss their opportunity after the goalless draw with Montpellier HSC this time and beat Lille OSC 2-1 to secure the "autumn champions" title.
12. Arsenal
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Last Week: 10
Differential: -2
Just when you think Arsenal are starting to string it together, they stink it up in preposterous fashion away to Liverpool. A 2-2 draw at Anfield on paper is a good result, but in reality, it was nothing short of a massive disappointment.
The Gunners started awfully and somehow managed to scrape a 1-1 draw heading into half-time. They then took the lead only to let it slip in the 97th minute to a 10-man team led by a wounded Martin Skrtel and an exhausted midfield.
11. FC Porto
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Last Week: 14
Differential: +3
FC Porto recovered from that damaging loss to Benfica last week by beating Vitoria Setubal. Many believed the Dragoes to be the strongest side in the Liga Sagres ahead of the defeat to Jorge Jesus and crew, so now their task is to reassert their value as title contenders.
A 4-0 victory will do that for you, and to see Yacine Brahimi, Jackson Martinez and Ricardo Quaresma all among the goals is pleasing.
10. Wolfsburg
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Last Week: 12
Differential: +2
Wolfsburg continued their excellent early-season drive with a 2-1 victory over FC Cologne. Bas Dost, Naldo and a host of others impressed in front of a now-expectant home crowd.
There have been so many impressive performers in this Wolves side that heavy rumours will follow their players into the winter break. Kevin De Bruyne, for example, is of great interest to Manchester City for around £30 million, per Mark Ogden of The Telegraph.
9. Benfica
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Last Week: 9
Differential: -
Benfica defeated Gil Vicente this weekend, maintaining a six-point gap at the top of Liga Sagres. Nicolas Gaitan—rumoured to follow Enzo Perez to Valencia, per Inside Spanish Football—scored the only goal of the game.
The 1-0 victory was very familiar; in a way, it seems a staple of Jorge Jesus' success this season. He's been stripped of offensive assets, and he's now dialled back on attacking and focused on defending.
8. Roma
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Last Week: 8
Differential: -
Roma will be severely disappointed they weren't able to take three points from a home tussle with Milan, particularly given the fact that Pablo Armero was sent off after 70 minutes.
The blank leaves the Giallorossi three points shy of Juventus again, but they enter the Christmas period in second place and clearly have a Serie A title shot this season.
7. Juventus
20 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: -
Roma's 0-0 draw with Milan, coupled with Juventus' 3-1 victory over Cagliari, has allowed the Bianconeri to extend the gap at the top of the Serie A table to three points once again.
While they will spend the mini-Christmas break in pole position, they'll be licking their wounds after an unfortunate defeat to Napoli on penalties in the Supercoppa Italiana.
6. Atletico Madrid
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Last Week: 6
Differential: -
It's not easy to win at the New San Mames regardless of Athletic Bilbao's form, but Antoine Griezmann stole the show with a magnificent hat-trick—much to the dismay of the Basque home crowd.
They're used to seeing the Frenchman play for Real Sociedad, and they were glad to see him leave their rivals this summer, but a brilliant showing up front put Los Leones' defence to the sword.
This 4-1 victory counts as one hell of a recovery from a "blip" last week at home.
5. Manchester City
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Last Week: 5
Differential: -
Manchester City dispatched Crystal Palace after a slight first-half hiccup. The final scoreline of 3-0 didn't flatter a side led by the genial David Silva.
The win made it six in a row for the Citizens—a team who had been discounted from the title race as early as October. They now sit just three points off leaders Chelsea despite losing all their strikers to injury.
4. Barcelona
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Last Week: 4
Differential: -
After failing to find a way past Getafe last weekend and losing ground on Real Madrid again, Barcelona smashed Cordoba 5-0 in revenge.
Luis Suarez scored, Lionel Messi grabbed a brace, and Neymar was completely rested. That's how strong this side is on paper; it's a scary proposition when (if?) it all clicks.
3. Chelsea
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Last Week: 3
Differential: -
Chelsea impressed during their 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Monday night. It's exactly the type of fixture they'd have stumbled on in the past, but this isn't the same Blues side as past years.
Jose Mourinho's men spend Christmas in pole position, and they deserve every bit of praise headed their way.
2. Bayern Munich
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Last Week: 2
Differential: -
Goalkeeper Loris Karius came closer than most to holding off the mighty Bayern Munich but eventually relented in the 90th minute to Arjen Robben.
The 2-1 victory over Mainz ensures Pep Guardiola's men maintained their exceptional domestic win streak and go into their lengthy winter break a whopping 11-points clear of nearest challengers Wolfsburg.
1. Real Madrid
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Last Week: 1
Differential: -
Real Madrid, kings of the world.
The Club World Cup victory, confirmed with a 2-0 victory over San Lorenzo in Morocco last week, means that's actually a technically correct statement, although fans of Bayern Munich and Chelsea will be eager to contest it and bay for the chance to beat Los Blancos in the Champions League this year.
They didn't play in La Liga due to their exploits in North Africa but remain top of the pile anyway.
