European Club Rankings: Atletico Madrid and Man Utd Rise; Arsenal out of Top 20
With a European Club Rankings dropping last Thursday following a monster slate of midweek Champions League action, this edition—which takes into account just one weekend of fixtures—is a little light on movement at the top end.
But what we can offer is a big boost for Atletico Madrid, who finally seem to be finding their feet, and rises for Manchester United and Napoli. Arsenal, though, are a club going in the wrong direction, and for the first time this season, they drop out of the top 20 altogether.
The rankings are season-long in their measurement of clubs. Previous editions only took recent form into account (spanning four to six weeks), but this version tracks teams throughout 2016-17.
Teams that have lost the fewest games in all competitions naturally rank higher, and Champions League form and presence is used as a tiebreaker for those with similar records.
21-25
1 of 13
25. Everton (New!)
A first entry of the season for Everton, who have been on a phenomenal run recently and are beginning to bludgeon teams with ease.
24. AC Milan (+1)
Four wins from five for AC Milan, with the only loss coming against Juventus in the 96th minute from the penalty spot.
23. Inter Milan (Stay)
Inter Milan will look for positives in their draw with Torino, and they'll find one in the good form of Geoffrey Kondogbia. It's about time he came good.
22. Arsenal (-2)
Arsenal hit double digits for losses this season in their defeat to West Bromwich Albion, and what a limp performance to match. Out of the top 20 for the first time this season.
21. OGC Nice (Stay)
Another draw, and with it, Nice's outside title challenge in Ligue 1 fades a little further into the background.
16-20
2 of 13
20. AS Roma (+2)
By no means convincing against Sassuolo, but a win is a win. They also beat Lyon 2-1 midweek in the Europa League—though that wasn't enough to see them qualify on aggregate. Still, the shoots of recovery are there.
19. Lazio (+1)
Lazio's winning streak came to an end this weekend, but at least the draw they managed included a clean sheet. They boast the third-best defence in Serie A.
18. FC Porto (-1)
What a howler. FC Porto squandered the chance to move to the summit of the Primeira Liga on Sunday, drawing with Vitoria de Setubal. They remain behind Benfica for now.
17. Manchester United (+1)
Saw off FC Rostov in a bit of a snoozefest, then ramped things up a notch with an excellent performance against Middlesbrough, winning 3-1 despite losing two of their best players this season to suspension.
16. Tottenham Hotspur (Stay)
Survived match No. 1 sans Harry Kane, beating Southampton 2-1 thanks to star performances from midfielders. It'll get harder, though, and it will be interesting to see how they cope.
11-15
3 of 13
15. Manchester City (Stay)
Did enough to edge Liverpool on the whole on Sunday but continually fluffed their lines in front of goal when it mattered the most. For once, in a team boasting Sergio Aguero, finishing was the problem.
14. RB Leipzig (-3)
Two losses in a row and three in six Bundesliga games for Ralph Hassenhuttl and Co. They dip below Borussia Dortmund in our rankings despite sitting a place ahead in the table, as they've now lost the same number of games this season...but only one is in the Champions League quarter-finals.
13. Liverpool (Stay)
On paper, the 1-1 draw against Manchester City is great, and there were some fantastic performances in midfield from the Reds, but boy were they fortunate to escape with a point.
12. Napoli (+2)
Raced into a 3-0 lead against Empoli on Sunday despite missing a penalty, then nearly surrendered it, eventually eking out a 3-2 win. All is not quite right in Naples, but they take advantage of poor results around them to move up in the rankings.
11. Sevilla (-1)
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Sevilla. They haven't won in four attempts, they're not dealing well with the spotlight and they're out of the Champions League.
10. Benfica
4 of 13
Last Week: 9th
Movement: -1
Benfica were left counting their blessings on Sunday evening as they watched FC Porto fail to take advantage of their slip the day before. A 0-0 draw with Pacos de Ferreira had opened the possibility of being overtaken at the top of Liga NOS, but FCP's own 1-1 tie meant the standings remained as they were.
The Eagles pushed and probed to no avail, totting up a huge percentage of the possession, but they only managed two shots on target. Eliseu struck the woodwork in what represented the closest shave.
9. Atletico Madrid
5 of 13
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +3
For the first time in quite a while, Atletico Madrid are back in our top 10. It's been a choppy season to say the least, but in somewhat predictable fashion, they've started piecing it together at the right moment.
Safely through to the Champions League quarter-finals and given the polarising draw of Leicester City, Los Colchoneros beat Sevilla 3-1 in La Liga this weekend to close the gap between the two to just two points.
Not long ago there was mild concern they'd miss out on a top-four berth; now they look destined for third.
8. Borussia Dortmund
6 of 13
Last Week: 8th
Movement: None
Borussia Dortmund moved to within three points of RB Leipzig this weekend, beating FC Ingolstadt 1-0 on Friday and then watching their rivals lose 3-0 to Werder Bremen.
It was by no means a perfect performance; although a clean sheet was achieved and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the net again, question marks were again raised over some of the players. Notably, Erik Durm's performances fluctuate aggressively during games.
7. Paris Saint-Germain
7 of 13
Last Week: 7th
Movement: None
Paris Saint-Germain overcame a serious scare on Sunday to stay within touching distance of AS Monaco at the top of Ligue 1.
They fell behind early to Alexandre Lacazette and came close to conceding a second straight after, but they recovered and found the net through Julian Draxler and Adrien Rabiot.
The star of the show, though, was Javier Pastore, who has returned from injury and shown how important he can be.
6. Monaco
8 of 13
Last Week: 6th
Movement: None
With every passing game, Kylian Mbappe wins more admirers. His scorching performance on Sunday against Caen was just the latest in an eye-popping run.
His two goals neatly sandwiched Fabinho's penalty to set Les Monegasques on course for a comfortable 3-0 victory, allowing his team to build on a brilliant Champions League win in midweek with a thumping, convincing win here.
5. Juventus
9 of 13
Last Week: 5th
Movement: None
In what was a reasonably inconsequential 1-0 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday, Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon broke yet another record. He's now played more minutes than any Bianconeri player in Serie A in the history of the club.
The game itself was about as unremarkable as their last fixture—also a 1-0 win, this time over FC Porto in midweek—but it did allow Kwadwo Asamoah and Daniele Rugani to grab valuable minutes.
Max Allegri's ability to rotate will be key with a Champions League clash with Barcelona now on the horizon.
4. Barcelona
10 of 13
Last Week: 4th
Movement: None
Barcelona again made life extremely difficult for themselves at home in La Liga, against a team in the lower half of the table. Why is this team so incredibly inconsistent?
Fans began to fear the worst after falling behind to an Eliaquim Mangala goal, and even after the Frenchman had conceded a penalty and been sent off, Los Che refused to lie down without a fight.
Barca eventually prevailed 4-2, though, keeping the title chase alive and snapping back from their ridiculous loss last week.
3. Chelsea
11 of 13
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: None
When Gary Cahill rifled home in the closing stages of Chelsea's match with Stoke City on Saturday—securing a seriously hard-fought 2-1 victory—the final, glowing embers of the Premier League "title race" were doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.
Had the Blues dropped a couple of points in Staffordshire then maybe—just maybe—the door would have edged open a little for a Tottenham Hotspur or a Manchester City to begin closing the gap.
However, Antonio Conte's men got it done thanks to two set pieces and remain 10 points clear at the top.
2. Real Madrid
12 of 13
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: None
On paper, Athletic Club Bilbao away is exactly the type of fixture this Real Madrid side would slip up in, opening an avenue for Barcelona to close the gap at the top again, but they emerged from the Basque region with three points in a strange game.
Los Blancos were outpossessed (52-48 percent), outshot (12-9), outdribbled (12-8) and lost the aerial battle (17-12); Casemiro scored and Cristiano Ronaldo recorded two assists, but no goals.
1. Bayern Munich
13 of 13
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
Robert Lewandowski has never netted against Borussia Monchengladbach while wearing a Bayern Munich shirt, and he drew yet another blank on Sunday. Fortunately, Thomas Muller stepped up in his stead to fire home and secure three more points.
With RB Leipzig losing in conjunction with this, the weekend's play has sent Carlo Ancelotti's charges a whopping 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. It's safe to say the title's heading to Munich (again), so now they can begin severe, heavy rotation and focus on the Champions League.
What a luxury to have—but a well-earned luxury, don't forget.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
