Power Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of February 7-8
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.
Atletico Madrid's seismic thrashing of Real Madrid, another draw for Manchester City and mixed form for Bayern Munich has led to a shakeup at the top, and we welcome two new sides into the top 25.
Remember: Form over the past six weeks or so is taken into account, with the most recent result being the biggest factor in a change of placement.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Dropping out
1 of 26
Dropping Out
Manchester United: After a turgid display against West Ham United, coupled with another Premier League side's excellent showing, Manchester United drop out.
Bayer Leverkusen: Bayer Leverkusen's start to 2015 has been rather mixed: draw, win, lose. The latest result—a 2-1 loss to a resurgent Werder Bremen side—sees them drop out among heavy competition.
25. Sevilla
2 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: -5
Two losses in a row see Sevilla tumble to the very bottom of the ladder. It's been a rough week for manager Unai Emery and Co.
The first defeat to Real Madrid is entirely understandable, even without Cristiano Ronaldo playing for the opposition, but the second, to Getafe, hurts.
Emery looks unconvinced with his strikers' goalscoring efforts and continues to chop/change the setup. With two straight defeats, Los Rojiblancos drop to fifth in La Liga.
24. Augsburg
3 of 26
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
With everybody focused on Roman Weidenfeller and Mats Hummels consoling agitated fans after Borussia Dortmund's latest loss, very few realise Augsburg are still making waves.
The Fuggerstadter are enjoying a remarkable campaign and currently sit in fourth place in the Bundesliga table, level on points with Schalke in third. They've been close to joining the top 25 on a number of occasions but never quite managed it; with Bayer Leverkusen now unconvincing, to say the least, it's only right they take their place.
23. Liverpool
4 of 26
Last Week: 24
Differential: +1
Liverpool's 0-0 draw in the Merseyside derby was mildly disappointing given the strength of their performance, but another clean sheet represents a clear building block in an improving season.
Emre Can and Mamadou Sakho were strong in defence again, and Jordon Ibe provided a bright spark on the right in his team's time of need. These are positive steps for manager Brendan Rodgers.
22. Tottenham Hotspur
5 of 26
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Tottenham Hotspur's thrilling north London derby victory sees them enter the top 25 at last. They've been playing superbly for a while, but they needed a premier result to force their way into the setup.
Forward Harry Kane is playing at a truly remarkable level, and the team play at 100 percent intensity right up until the final whistle. Despite going a goal down early on to Arsenal, they never truly looked as though they would lose.
21. Valencia
6 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +4
Valencia's dreadful away form took a turn for the better this weekend as they defeated Espanyol 2-1 at the Power8 Stadium.
2014 FIFA World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi had another suspect day and made a glaring error to give up a goal, but Jose Gaya really caught the eye from left-back and took much of the attention away.
20. Villarreal
7 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +3
Villarreal were able to rest their most in-form player (Denis Cheryshev) this weekend and still come out with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Granada. That's mighty pleasing to a manager.
Arsenal loanee Joel Campbell started on the right side in an impressive team performance, but the standout performer was perhaps the man Arsenal should have bought instead of Gabriel Paulista: Mateo Musacchio.
The Argentine rock had a goal and a goal-line clearance.
19. PSV Eindhoven
8 of 26
Last Week: 19
Differential: None
The woodwork denied Memphis Depay a phenomenal hat-trick at home to Utrecht this weekend, but nevertheless, PSV Eindhoven extended their Eredivisie winning run to nine with a 3-1 victory.
Luciano Narsingh scored with Luuk de Jong contributing an assist from the central striker's role. Jurgen Locadia, who has been impressive when given the chance, settled for the bench due to a very competitive, deeply talented squad.
Ajax scraped another victory after a fortuitous own goal saw them win, 2-1. This title is as good as PSV's as long as they keep their nerve.
18. Monaco
9 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: -1
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Finally, after 842 minutes, AS Monaco conceded a goal.
"Away at 10-man EA Guingamp and struggling for cutting edge in attack, Dorian Leveque broke Les Monegasques' impressive record that has stood since December. Now Leonardo Jardim faces another problem: His team have gone 333 minutes across all competitions without scoring a single goal.
"Still fifth in the Ligue 1 table and within touching distance of Saint-Etienne in fourth, the principality outfit are also still alive in the Coupe de France. However, if Jardim wants his team to qualify for Europe and possibly win the French Cup as well, then the defence-minded Portuguese tactician needs to solve his team's problems up top."
17. Manchester City
10 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: -7
Manchester City drop harshly after only mustering a draw at home to relegation-threatened Hull City. They are without a Premier League win in four and must be reset near the bottom of the top 25.
Even the equaliser against the Tigers, netted via a free-kick by James Milner, was dubious in its circumstances; the awarding of the foul was a little soft, it must be said.
City will welcome Yaya Toure back and Wilfried Bony into the fold soon, but will they be exhausted after their African Cup of Nations triumph?
16. Marseille
11 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: -1
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Another week, another disappointing result away from home for Olympique de Marseille. Marcelo Bielsa's men are really struggling for form on the road, and a volleyed debut goal from loanee Lucas Ocampos was required to salvage a point for Les Phoceens at Stade Rennais last weekend.
"To make matters worse, Mario Lemina was sent off for punching Rennes' goalscorer Ola Toivonen. OM are brilliant at home, but awful away. Put simply, this team will not win the league unless it can learn how to pick up points on the road."
15. Southampton
12 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: +3
Memes emerged of Southampton midfielder Sadio Mane adorning Superman's Man of Steel movie poster on Saturday after the Senegalese wonder rescued a win with a 93rd-minute strike at Queens Park Rangers.
The R's are a team Saints have traditionally struggled to beat despite always outclassing them on the pitch, and Mane's winner meant Ronald Koeman's men regained third place in the Premier League table.
Southampton are third. In February.
14. Roma
13 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: +2
New stars born?
Roma manager Rudi Garcia overcame the news that midfielder Kevin Strootman will miss the rest of the season with a recurring knee injury, per the Daily Mirror, by unearthing two new reasons to adore the Giallorossi.
Daniele Verde starred in a 2-1 win over Cagliari this weekend, picking up two assists, and fellow young gun Leandro Paredes bagged one of the goals off of the bench.
It was just the injection Roma needed.
13. Napoli
14 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: +1
Napoli collected their fourth Serie A victory in a row by beating Udinese this weekend; Rafa Benitez's men are starting to produce some rather ominous displays.
One storyline to watch from here until the end of the season is what effect the arrival of forward Manolo Gabbiadini has on the future of Jose Callejon. Once a favoured son of the Partenopei and regular goalscorer, he's been pushed to the side a little and could be sold at a high value this summer.
12. Paris Saint-Germain
15 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Following last Sunday's 1-1 draw away at Olympique Lyonnais in the big Ligue 1 clash, PSG are still in the title race and remain just two points behind OL, along with Marseille.
"Even if Zlatan Ibrahimovic's penalty was controversial, there is little doubt that Laurent Blanc's men deserved at least a point at Stade Gerland. It was Les Parisiens' best performance in months, and if they can replicate it, then they will beat most teams.
"PSG might still only be second in the table, but the bigger picture is that they are still progressing on all four fronts this season. By this time last campaign, the capital club were already out of the Coupe de France, but this time they are progressing steadily in each competitions."
11. FC Porto
16 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: +2
FC Porto closed the gap at the top of Liga Sagres to four points by seeing off Moreirense 2-0 after Benfica drew with rivals Sporting in the Lisbon derby.
Striker Jackson Martinez continued his red-hot form by opening the scoring, and midfielder Casemiro netted the second in the second half, sealing the result.
It's three comprehensive victories in a row for the Dragons and a UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie to look forward to.
10. Benfica
17 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: None
A tense Lisbon derby between Sporting and Benfica at the Jose Alvalade burst into life in the final 10 minutes, with Jefferson giving Los Leones the lead in the 87th minute before Jardel equalised in the 94th.
It's difficult to work out if this is a point gained or two dropped for Jorge Jesus' side. With FC Porto beating Moreirense, it could easily be viewed as the latter, but an away point in a fierce derby is a more than commendable result.
9. Lyon
18 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Despite being held to a draw at home by Paris Saint-Germain last Sunday, Lyon are still top of Ligue 1 and two points clear of PSG and Marseille. However, it was clear against PSG that Hubert Fournier's men desperately miss both Alexandre Lacazette and Milan Bisevac. Perhaps the latter more than the former.
"Out of all cup competitions, so now only with the league to play for, Lyon are set to embark upon a tough run of four away fixtures in their next five. That sequence includes a trip to Marseille's Stade Velodrome, so we should have a better idea of OL's title chances after these games."
8. Wolfsburg
19 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: None
After Wolfsburg's destruction of Bayern Munich, an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt followed. They're a solid side, no doubt, but Dieter Hecking's men missed a serious chance to make the Bundesliga title race a little more interesting—no, scratch that, they missed the chance to make the Bundesliga title race an actual race.
But a 3-0 beating of Hoffenheim followed, proving this Wolfe team are for real when it comes to separating themselves in second place in the league. If the pieces hold up, they'll be a joy to watch in Europe next year.
7. Arsenal
20 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: -1
Arsenal took the lead in the north London derby and looked as though they might counter-attack their way to another impressive victory, but the offensive effort dried up quickly and never returned.
Kane put the defensive line to the sword with two second-half goals and turned the game in the hosts' favour, leaving manager Arsene Wenger with a tonne of questions and very few answers.
The inconsistent side to the Gunners' game strikes again, but they're saved from a big drop by the inconsistencies of those around them.
6. Bayern Munich
21 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: -2
It hasn't really gone to plan for Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola in 2015, but given the size of the lead they built up in the Bundesliga before Christmas, that doesn't really matter.
Moving on from their loss to Wolfsburg the Friday before last, midweek saw them struggle against Schalke and only manage a 1-1 draw. A 2-0 win over Stuttgart this weekend righted the ship, but it was courtesy of two scorchers from Arjen Robben and David Alaba.
There's work to be done.
5. Juventus
22 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: +2
Beating Milan is no longer the crown-worthy achievement of yesteryear, but Juventus still did the job at hand with breath to spare, and that's impressive.
Upfront, Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez, together, look fantastic, and the midfield quartet of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba is as good as it gets.
In the wake of Roma's slip, the Bianconeri have emerged as the clear best Serie A side for the third season running.
4. Real Madrid
23 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: -2
Disaster struck for Real Madrid this weekend, as they lost 4-0 to closest rivals Atletico Madrid in El Derbi. It allowed Barcelona to close the gap on first place while, simultaneously, Los Blancos were humiliated by the team in third.
Los Blancos didn't even register a shot on target in the first 80 minutes as they succumbed to Atleti's ferocious pressing, and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo didn't factor, as he hardly got a sniff on goal.
It's back to the drawing board for manager Carlo Ancelotti as his foes close in.
3. Chelsea
24 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: +2
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho gained his first win at Villa Park this weekend, defeating Aston Villa 2-1 in a hard-fought battle. Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic settled the contest with great goals either side of a Jores Okore header.
With Manchester City mustering just a draw, the Blues moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and into what looks to be an insurmountable lead. Better yet, they have the weekend off ahead of their round-of-16 tie in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.
2. Atletico Madrid
25 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: +1
Most will argue there is no such thing as perfection in football, but what Atletico Madrid did on Saturday was pretty damn close.
A 4-0 win over close rivals Real Madrid blew the Liga title race wide open and ensured that Ancelotti would be winless in six attempts against Los Colchoneros this season. Atleti manager Diego Simeone absolutely has his number.
Atleti have sustained some losses recently, granted, but they were against Barcelona in the cup. They've been performing consistently well for months and still stand as one of Europe's best teams.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Barcelona won't have an easier night from an attacking perspective than on Sunday at the new San Mames. Athletic Bilbao pressed high and allowed space for Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi; the score, 5-2, could easily have been 15-6.
It leaves the Blaugrana just a point off Real Madrid in first place and reaffirms their status as the clear in-form team in world football. As they continue to click into gear, many will wonder just who can stop Luis Enrique's deadly troika upfront.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
