Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of March 21-22
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here). Here, we'll rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
El Clasico has reshaped things at the top, while Bayern Munich, Benfica, FC Porto, Lyon, Liverpool and Wolfsburg all failing to win has made for some interesting positional switches. We also have two new entrants, as Villarreal and Napoli have bowed out.
Remember: Form over the past six weeks or so is taken into account, with the most recent result being the biggest factor in changes of placement. It's also cumulative, so some teams such as Marseille and Arsenal have been floating in reasonably stable positions due to up-and-down form.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments below!
Dropping Out
1 of 26
Dropping Out
Villarreal: They have lost to Sevilla three times this month. Astonishing.
Napoli: Rafa Benitez's men have won one in four in the league and squeezed past a Russian opponent (not named Zenit) in Europe.
25. Manchester City
2 of 26
Last Week: 21
Differential: -4
Welcome to Manchester City, Wilfried Bony!
The Ivorian finally netted his first goal since joining in January—an iffy record excused by the fact he exerted himself at the Africa Cup of Nations—and led the Citizens to a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The problem is City lost 1-0 to Barcelona in Europe last week and crashed out of the Champions League. Were it not for Joe Hart, it could have been 8-0, and that's the overriding result here.
24. Southampton
3 of 26
Last Week: 24
Differential: None
Southampton managed what looked like a routine 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Burnley on paper, but in reality, it feels like a very strong result.
First, the Clarets always play up against the the top sides, so the Saints did well to avoid falling into the same trap as Manchester City last week. Second, goalkeeper Fraser Forster hurt his knee midway through, and stalwart Kelvin Davis replaced him to make some fine saves.
This could have gone badly wrong, but it didn't.
23. Sevilla
4 of 26
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
Unai Emery certainly knows how to play, and beat, Villarreal. The stadium chant "Can we play you every week?" feels very applicable here.
Sevilla have progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals, having beaten the Yellow Submarine in that competition. They have also separated from Marcelino Toral's men in the league by six points after a run of three straight wins (one against Villarreal).
Los Rojiblancos spent some time out of the top 25, but they have recovered in style.
22. Zenit St. Petersburg
5 of 26
Last Week: 23
Differential: +1
Zenit St. Petersburg picked up a superb 1-0 away win against Dynamo Moscow this weekend—a side featuring Mathieu Valbuena, Yuri Zhirkov, Balazs Dzsudzsak and Christopher Samba.
They've been dealt Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final draw, a sizable task, but must first focus on the next league game: CSKA Moscow at home. If they win, they go 11 points clear at the top.
21. Borussia Monchengladbach
6 of 26
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
Borussia Monchengladbach produced a brilliant showing to defeat Bayern Munich this weekend, with Raffael scoring both the goals.
It marks their fourth win in six games and has them standing above Bayer Leverkusen in the race for fourth by two points. A lack of continental distractions for Lucien Favre's men could mean a better chance at a consistent run-in.
20. Manchester United
7 of 26
Last Week: 25
Differential: +5
Manchester United have notched two wins in a row—but perhaps more crucially, two convincing wins in a row. A 2-1 victory at Anfield, wedging a five-point gap between themselves and Liverpool, sees Louis van Gaal's men soaring up this ranking.
It was about time the side clicked, doing so in a 4-3-3 feeding off Juan Mata, Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera in an impressive midfield. Daley Blind has been an important presence at left-back, too.
19. Lazio
8 of 26
Last Week: 20
Differential: +1
Make it six wins in a row for Lazio in Serie A. They're really churning through this fixture list in the hunt for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Felipe Anderson and Antonio Candreva, Stefano Pioli's two devastating wingers, did the damage once again as they flanked a combination of Miroslav Klose and Keita Balde Diao.
Just how good are the Biancocelesti?
18. Marseille
9 of 26
Last Week: 18
Differential: None
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Following Lyon's surprise loss, the door was opened to Marseille to once again well and truly be in this title race. Marcelo Bielsa's men took it, eventually.
"Goalless at half-time away at struggling RC Lens, Les Phoceens put in a clinical second-half showing to rack up a second consecutive high-scoring away win with a 4-0 success. If Marseille really have turned the corner with their away form and can also beat PSG in Le Classique once domestic action resumes, then they stand a very good chance of winning the title."
Marseille are unfortunate not to move up, but all other teams around them also enjoyed success.
17. Bayer Leverkusen
10 of 26
Last Week: 17
Differential: None
Bayer Leverkusen's fourth Bundesliga win in a row, this time against top-four rivals Schalke, was a key result that helped shape and define the race for UEFA Champions League spots. Roberto Di Matteo's club are now six behind Roger Schmidt's men.
In midweek, Leverkusen lost on penalties to Atletico Madrid after 210 exhausting minutes of intense UEFA Champions League play. They bowed out, but with their heads held very high.
16. Fiorentina
11 of 26
Last Week: 16
Differential: None
Fiorentina ripped Roma to shreds in the UEFA Europa League last week, winning 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and causing some of the more staunch Giallorossi fans to stage a protest. Mohamed Salah excelled once again.
But a 2-2 draw at Udinese at the weekend hurt the Viola's prospects of achieving a top-three finish in Serie A, and it may be that to make the UEFA Champions League next season, Vincenzo Montella has to win the Europa League.
15. Benfica
12 of 26
Last Week: 11
Differential: -4
For the first time since January, Benfica lost a Liga NOS match. They led Rio Ave, a real minnow, until late in the game but fell apart, conceding a penalty, seeing Luisao red-carded and then conceding a winner at the death.
It hurts their stock, as they were flying a little high anyway. Accumulating wins will see you rise steadily, but should you lose, you plummet sharply—especially when you're so much better than your weekly opposition.
14. Liverpool
13 of 26
Last Week: 10
Differential: -4
Liverpool have sustained just two Premier League losses since Dec. 14. Unfortunately for fans of the club, they've both come against Manchester United—their arch-rivals.
It sees the Reds drop the week after finally breaching the top 10. Brendan Rodgers will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to beat Louis van Gaal, though Steven Gerrard's destructive cameo hardly helped.
13. Monaco
14 of 26
Last Week: 14
Differential: +1
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Creeping up under the radar, Monaco could be about to add a fourth name to the Ligue 1 title race. A 3-1 win away at Stade de Reims keeps Leonardo Jardim's men ahead of fifth-placed AS Saint-Etienne, with a game in hand capable of taking Les Monegasques to within one point of Marseille.
"Next up for Monaco are Saint-Etienne, so a key game in terms of deciding the top four. However, the principality outfit's situation will become clearer once they have played their game in hand against Montpellier. Like PSG, the balance of domestic and European commitments will be crucial."
12. Lyon
15 of 26
Last Week: 9
Differential: -3
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"It was another crazy weekend in Ligue 1's entertaining title race, and Lyon's home loss to OGC Nice has opened up the top three positions once again. No sooner did Hubert Fournier's men appear to hold the advantage after surviving a testing recent run of fixtures relatively unscathed than they heaped pressure upon themselves by surrendering the top spot.
"Without Alexandre Lacazette, Samuel Umtiti and Henri Bedimo through suspension, Les Gones looked a shadow of their normal selves and Yoann Gourcuff's exit with an injury added to a bad day at the office. Those dropped points against Nice could prove costly for Lyon come the end of the season."
11. Valencia
16 of 26
Last Week: 15
Differential: +4
Valencia crushed Elche 4-0 away from home to solidify their spot in third place in La Liga. Given that Real Madrid lost, Los Che are actually only four points off second place.
Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer were two of a number of Nuno Santo's players who impressed, and the clean sheet away from Mestalla will also please. With no European distractions, picking between Valencia and Atletico Madrid as "favourites" for third is very tough.
10. Atletico Madrid
17 of 26
Last Week: 13
Differential: +3
Diego Simeone will be pleased. His Atletico Madrid side negotiated a gruelling 210-minute skirmish with Bayer Leverkusen and prevailed on penalties to advance to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, then beat Getafe 2-0 at home a few days later.
Given his side have dropped a serious amount of points post-European fixtures, the three here and clean sheet to boot seem almost doubly important. They must keep chase with Valencia in the table.
9. Paris Saint-Germain
18 of 26
Last Week: 12
Differential: +3
As ever, we go directly to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"After 30 rounds of fixtures, PSG were finally top of Ligue 1 come the end of a weekend. Laurent Blanc's men top the table undisputedly for the first time this season and will occupy top spot at least until the resumption of domestic action.
"The defending French champions finally capitalised on one of their title rivals' slip-ups, applying enough pressure on Lyon with their Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired 3-1 win over FC Lorient.
"Now the challenge for Les Parisiens is to remain at the summit, while also trying to balance a number of other important cup fixtures. Le Classique against bitter rivals Marseille is a big clash to come straight back into and also a potentially decisive one."
8. Real Madrid
19 of 26
Last Week: 7
Differential: -1
Losing El Clasico always hurts, but this one will sting in a particularly sharp manner. Real Madrid were by far the better side in the first half but failed to score the goals to affirm their superiority.
In the end, Barcelona pegged them back and scored the winner. They looked fresher and fitter, somehow, and Luis Enrique's substitutions were superb.
Carlo Ancelotti is in trouble.
7. FC Porto
20 of 26
Last Week: 8
Differential: +1
Sometimes, you really do wonder if FC Porto want to win Liga NOS this season. Such has been their propensity to waste chances to overtake Benfica.
With the Eagles losing to Rio Ave, this stood a golden chance to narrow the gap to just one point, but a 1-1 draw against Nacional is all the Dragons could muster, and the gap still stands at three.
Fortunately, Real Madrid's Clasico loss means Porto move up a spot into a season-high seventh.
6. Chelsea
21 of 26
Last Week: 6
Differential: None
Chelsea raced into a two-goal lead inside 10 minutes at the KC Stadium on Sunday but allowed Hull City back into it after an astonishing lapse in concentration just before the half-hour mark.
It left the Blues scrambling for a winner late on and Jose Mourinho scowling. After the quick flurry early on, this game should have been done and dusted. Loic Remy provided the goal to claim victory, though Allan McGregor's conduct in the goal was somewhat questionable.
It was a rather unconvincing victory, it must be said.
5. Wolfsburg
22 of 26
Last Week: 5
Differential: None
A draw away to Mainz this weekend won't hurt Wolfsburg too much, but their lead over Borussia Monchengladbach did slip to seven points as a result.
Last Thursday, they travelled to Milan to take on Internazionale and won 2-1, sealing a 5-2 aggregate victory and a berth in the Europa League quarter-finals. They look by far the strongest side left in the competition.
4. Arsenal
23 of 26
Last Week: 4
Differential: None
Arsenal put Newcastle United away 2-1 this weekend in a game they were fancied to win by more. Olivier Giroud's clinical nature came through for the Gunners once again to grind out an important victory. Their six Premier League wins in a row make them the most in-form side in the league.
In midweek, they beat Monaco 2-0 away but dropped out of the Champions League on the cruel away goals rule.
3. Bayern Munich
24 of 26
Last Week: 1
Differential: -2
Bayern Munich lost a little ground in the race to beat themselves to the Bundesliga title, but dropping points here won't matter. The loss to Borussia Monchengladbach will likely be famous for Manuel Neuer's gaffe on the line, allowing Raffael to score, more than anything else.
Still, with a certain side from Catalonia winning the world's biggest match, Bayern have to drop. Pep Guardiola will hope this is a positive shock to the system as the Champions League race heats up.
2. Juventus
25 of 26
Last Week: 3
Differential: +1
Juventus are on top of the world right now—even if Paul Pogba has been ruled out with a hamstring issue of reasonable severity, per BBC Sport.
After smashing Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park 3-0, therefore qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals, they were rewarded with a tie against Monaco—the one side who look definitively weaker than the rest on paper.
The 2-0 win over Genoa at the weekend was par for the course. The Scudetto will be theirs.
1. Barcelona
26 of 26
Last Week: 2
Differential: +1
Last week, Barcelona were knocked off the top spot despite winning. It was a tough decision.
This week, moving them to the summit is an easy choice, as not only did Bayern Munich lose, but La Blaugrana triumphed in El Clasico, beating arch-rivals Real Madid 2-1 at the Camp Nou. Days earlier, they also beat Manchester City 1-0 in Europe.
Luis Suarez affirmed in front of the watching world that he has settled in Catalonia, and Luis Enrique's men were able to open a four-point gap at the top of the table and progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.
All quotes obtained first-hand unless noted otherwise.
