Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of Jan 31-Feb 1
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here). We rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
All leagues are back in action now following the Bundesliga's mid-season kick-off this weekend, and we have some big movers in every sector as results went a bit pear-shaped for a select few.
Remember: Form over the past month or so is taken into account, with the most recent result the biggest factor in a change of placing.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Honourable Mentions
1 of 26
Dropping Out
Ajax: For the first time in weeks, we have a dropout. Ajax were bettered for 90 minutes by Vitesse Arnhem and eventually succumbed late on, losing 1-0.
Honourable Mentions
Tottenham: Spurs beat West Brom 3-0 in impressive fashion and have cause to celebrate thanks to Harry Kane's new contract, but they just miss out here (again).
25. Valencia
2 of 26
Last Week: 22
Differential: -3
Last week we praised Valencia's ability to win big games at home, so, in turn, we must question their ropy showings away from home this time around.
A 1-0 loss at Malaga saw Joao Cancelo sent off and another formation change—this time to 4-4-2—hinder their ability to play. Manager Nuno Santo is taking some heat, but don't lose sight of the fact that this has been an excellent season for Los Che so far regardless.
24. Liverpool
3 of 26
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Liverpool return to our top 25 after a long, long spell on the sidelines. Their form over January has been tremendous, but they had to wait until now for Ajax to relinquish control over one of the spots.
Philippe Coutinho was in remarkable form once again against West Ham, and the club welcomed Daniel Sturridge back onto the pitch after the longest five-month absence the fans have likely ever felt.
The Reds are top-four contenders—make no mistake.
23. Villarreal
4 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: None
Villarreal went toe-to-toe with Barcelona this weekend, and although they lost, 3-2, they gained respect and admiration from the footballing world for showing no fear.
They could have shored up in midfield with Manu Trigueros over Tomas Pina, but they didn't, played their usual attacking football and ran the Catalan club close.
22. Manchester United
5 of 26
Last Week: 24
Differential: +2
Manchester United still aren't entirely convincing; it says a lot about the worrisome structure of the performances when Daley Blind is Man of the Match in a 3-1 home win over Leicester City.
Still, honest moves forward were made this weekend as Louis van Gaal ditched the dreaded back three and played a more efficient, penetrative setup. Radamel Falcao scored, and he looked dead happy about it, too.
21. Bayer Leverkusen
6 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: -3
Bayer Leverkusen returned to action and faced Borussia Dortmund. Once upon a time, this was a rather frightful fixture, but Jurgen Klopp's men have had a season to forget.
The 0-0 draw included far less drama and fireworks than many expected, but it showed Roger Schmidt's men have made progress defensively. Perhaps they were short a Heung Min Son-shaped figure in attack to really finish it off.
All the teams immediately below Bayer won, so they move down this week.
20. Sevilla
7 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: +1
Liverpool legend Iago Aspas scored and hit the woodwork as Sevilla beat Espanyol 3-2 this weekend, allowing Los Rojiblancos to move a point clear of Valencia and four clear of Villarreal.
They sit fourth, have a game in hand and trail Atletico Madrid by only five points themselves. Unai Emery is keeping this side consistent at a key period in the season, with four wins and one draw from their last six league games.
19. PSV Eindhoven
8 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: None
Jurgen Locadia and Memphis Depay scored the goals to extend PSV Eindhoven's lead at the top of the Eredivisie table to nine points. With Ajax losing their fixture, and subsequently losing more ground, Phillip Cocu's men are overwhelming favourites to haul in the Dutch title.
Depay even had room to miss a penalty and the team still came out victorious, beating a sub-standard Willem II side with ease.
18. Southampton
9 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: -1
Southampton dominated Swansea City in the Premier League's Sunday climax but somehow came away with a 1-0 loss. The away side put in a number of heroic blocks and tackles, with Ashley Williams, in particular, shining at the heart of defence.
Jonjo Shelvey's wonderstrike settled it, and Ronald Koeman's men's scope for error in the race for the top four has slimmed once again. Arsenal's thumping victory drew them level on points with the south coast club.
17. Monaco
10 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: +3
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 update:
Another week, another clean sheet and a good point at home to Lyon. Monaco's excellent spell of defensive miserliness shows no signs of ending, and Leonardo Jardim's men climbed closer to Ligue 1's top four with that goalless draw.
Despite the loss of Andrea Raggi through injury in the Lyon clash, Les Monegasques should be able to keep this run going. It might not be pretty to watch a lot of the time, but it is becoming more and more effective each week.
16. Roma
11 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: -2
Four draws in a row in Serie A, five draws in six games. Roma are sliding, quickly, while their closest rivals, Napoli, are rising in the table.
Rudi Garcia's men have been rocked by the announcement Kevin Strootman is out for the rest of the season after sustaining a setback in his knee, per ESPNFC, and they lack both rhythm and flow in attack.
15. Marseille
12 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: +1
B/R's Jonathan Johnson provides the Ligue 1 update:
Even though they claimed the three points with a 1-0 win over Evian, Marseille are still struggling to look convincing. Marcelo Bielsa will be happy that Andre-Pierre Gignac is getting back into goal-scoring form, but will be disappointed that his penalty was all Les Phoceens could muster against a side battling relegation.
OM play first this coming weekend, giving the southerners the chance to put Lyon and PSG under pressure. A draw between those two could see Marseille top of Ligue 1 come the end of next weekend.
14. Napoli
13 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: +1
Manolo Gabbiadini scored the winner in the second half to settle a close contest between Chievo and Napoli in favour of the latter, 2-1. It was the striker's first league start and first league goal for the club.
Rafa Benitez's men started the season poorly and hung around the depths of our power rankings for months, but a three-game win streak—coupled with Roma's poor run—is allowing them to close the gap rapidly.
13. FC Porto
14 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: None
Julen Lopetegui's Porto put in a formidable display against Pacos de Ferreira. The emphatic 5-0 victory was made even more impressive by the fact that Pacos beat Benfica last weekend in a topsy-turvy set of results.
Jackson Martinez morphed into Hulk mode and nearly single-handedly destroyed the minnow outfit, scoring one and directly assisting two more. When the Dragons catch fire, they are impossible to stop.
12. Paris Saint-Germain
15 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: None
Once again, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 update:
Although they were not entirely convincing once again, Paris Saint-Germain beat Rennes 1-0 at home last Friday as they continue to pick up form across all competitions. Laurent Blanc's men have won six games out of a possible seven since the start of 2015 and have a crunch week coming up.
Les Parisiens have a Coupe de la Ligue semi-final in Lille on Tuesday before taking on league leaders Lyon away from home on Sunday. Win those two games, and PSG could find themselves in a domestic cup final and top of the league by the end of the week, despite their average form.
11. Benfica
16 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: None
Benfica snapped back to winning ways this weekend, coasting past Boavista in what one would describe as a routine victory.
With FC Porto looking so formidable in their own win, it was important for the Eagles to make a statement, and they did so with goals from Lima, Maxi Pereira and the reliable Brazilian outlet Jonas.
10. Manchester City
17 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -1
Manuel Pellegrini missed a golden chance to gain ground on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table this weekend. His side could only muster a 1-1 draw despite playing versus an XI sans Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas.
Sergio Aguero and David Silva combined for their goal, and Jesus Navas bore the brunt of City fans' frustrations as he squandered multiple chances from strong positions. Opportunities to catch up at the top—where the gap is five points—don't come much bigger than this.
9. Lyon
18 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: -1
B/R's Jonathan Johnson again provides the Ligue 1 update:
For the first time in eight Ligue 1 matches on Sunday, Lyon were reminded what it is like to not win a game. Without the injured Alexandre Lacazette, Hubert Fournier's men lacked penetration up top, and that will be a concern ahead of Sunday's showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.
Key central defender Milan Bisevac has been ruled out of action for six months with a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered against Monaco, and the Serb's absence could be as detrimental as Lacazette's. Lyon cannot afford to lose at home to PSG, with the draw in Monaco allowing the capital club to move to within two points of Fournier's men going into the clash.
8. Wolfsburg
19 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: +2
A famous result, a famous victory.
Wolfsburg beat Bayern Munich 4-1 at the Volkswagen Arena on Friday night as the Bundesliga finally returned to our screens for 2015.
Maximilian Arnold and Kevin de Bruyne were in demonic form, running riot all over die Bayern's formation, and Bas Dost came up with two super finishes.
7. Juventus
20 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: -2
Juventus drew 0-0 at Udinese this weekend, halting a win of three matches in a row in Serie A. They huffed and puffed but failed to break through Andrea Stramaccioni's back line.
It's an opportunity to extend their league lead missed, with Roma drawing yet another game as they struggle to find the killer touch. Still, the gap stays at seven, and Napoli are probably too far behind to trouble them.
6. Arsenal
21 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: +1
Arsenal ripped Aston Villa to shreds on Sunday afternoon, playing a counter-attacking game (at home!) and scything through the visitors' defensive line on the break.
Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Co. were magnificent, and Theo Walcott built on his goal-scoring performance at Brighton last week with another here.
All of a sudden, the Gunners look really scary.
5. Chelsea
22 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: +1
Jose Mourinho avoided press duties this weekend in protest of the English FA's decision to ban Diego Costa for a perceived "stamp" on Emre Can during the Capital One Cup semi-final last Tuesday. It added further intrigue to a game vs. Manchester City watched by "tens of millions," per the Daily Mail.
It turned out to be a tense affair; the Blues were unwilling to go for the victory should it risk surrendering a point, as a draw is a much better result for Chelsea than it is for City. Loic Remy scored in Costa's place.
Top of the league, a five-point gap, signing Juan Cuadrado and a cup final to look forward to—that's the way to get over the Bradford City upset!
4. Bayern Munich
23 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -2
There will be no unbeaten season for Bayern Munich; the club's return from a lengthy winter break culminated in a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Wolfsburg.
The players performed poorly and looked unprepared for what Dieter Hecking's men brought to the table, conceding as many goals in one game as they did in the entire first half of the Bundesliga season.
3. Atletico Madrid
24 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: +1
Atletico Madrid took care of business against Eibar this weekend on what has to be a forerunner for one of the worst pitches a modern-day game has ever taken place on.
Luckily for Diego Simeone, his team loves to get down and dirty; their style of play doesn't require a pristine carpet to roll the ball around on, and Mario Mandzukic led Los Colchoneros to a strong 3-1 victory.
They're out of the Copa del Rey after an aggregate loss to Barcelona, but it will give them a chance to focus on two competitions at least.
2. Real Madrid
25 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: +1
Real Madrid recovered from a first-minute concession to Real Sociedad on Saturday to beat David Moyes' men 4-1 at the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema has rediscovered his scoring touch, and that's a huge relief to Carlo Ancelotti.
The game, while likely to be remembered for Moyes' horrendous attempt at pronouncing Asier Illarramendi's name more than anything else, was a strong step in the right direction for Los Blancos.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
The attacking trident of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi continued to thrill supporters this weekend, turning over a very strong Villarreal side 3-2 at the Camp Nou.
Suarez didn't bag a goal but did everything but once again, making fantastic runs and creating chances (directly or indirectly) for others. A good win against a legitimate team, in addition to their midweek success against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey, keeps La Blaugrana top—especially with Bayern Munich losing.
