European Club Rankings: Bayern Fall, Monaco Rise, a New No. 1 Is Crowned Again
It's all change at the top in our European Club Rankings; gone are the days when one club holds onto the No. 1 slot for weeks on end.
The Champions League quarter-finals have largely separated the wheat from the chaff, and the final four that will contest the semis are all inside our top six. El Clasico's dramatic events on Sunday also have a big say in how our teams are ordered.
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.
25-21
1 of 13
25. Milan (Stay)
Milan's shock 2-1 home loss to Empoli this weekend created a large five-point gap between themselves and the final remaining Europa League qualification spot. There are five games left. Uh oh.
24. Atalanta (Stay)
That team five points ahead of Milan, in fifth, are Atalanta. They beat Bologna 3-2 at the weekend and are zeroing in on Europa League football...but they will likely have to face it without Franck Kessie, who is continually linked to Roma, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC).
23. Hoffenheim (Stay)
Kerem Demirbay rescued a late, late draw for Hoffenheim against Cologne. The point keeps them well in the clear to qualify for the top four, but it did allow Borussia Dortmund to leap ahead of them.
22. OGC Nice (-2)
This was a bad time for Nice to lose steam and draw. With Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain winning, it meant Nice fell to six points behind them both. The slim hopes of a title challenge can be forgotten now.
21. Arsenal (+1)
The victory over Manchester City was a touch fortunate, but the fact remains the north Londoners have an FA Cup final to look forward to. It doesn't right the many wrongs over the last few months but is a positive first step.
20-16
2 of 13
20. FC Porto (-1)
How many times are Porto going to blow it? They watched Benfica draw with Sporting on Saturday, knowing it gave them a chance to pull themselves closer to Benfica but could only draw 0-0 with Feirense themselves!
19. Lazio (+2)
By the 27th minute of Lazio vs. Palermo on Sunday, the hosts were 5-0 up. Balde Keita scored a historic five-minute hat-trick and Ciro Immobile netted two, meaning he's breached the 20-goal mark this Serie A campaign.
18. Liverpool (-4)
Oh, Liverpool. You were making such positive, progressive steps! Back-to-back away wins had us so impressed, but then old demons surfaced as you lost to Crystal Palace at home.
17. Manchester City (-2)
City were favourites heading into their FA Cup semi-final tussle with Arsenal but blew it in extra time. In fairness, they'll feel a little hard done by: David Silva withdrew early after being fouled incessantly for 23 minutes, and a perfectly valid goal was ruled out by a bad decision from the linesman.
16. Roma (Stay)
Roma play Monday against 20th-placed Pescara. It should be a win, and that would be enough to pull four clear of Napoli in second.
15-11
3 of 13
15. Manchester United (+2)
United above Liverpool and Man City? How does that work, considering the Premier League table? Well, despite crippling injuries left and right, the Red Devils continue to grind out wins. They're just one point off City, three points off Liverpool (with two games in hand) and they're in the Europa League semi-finals.
Against all odds, this might just turn out to be a successful season for manager Jose Mourinho.
14. Sevilla (+4)
Ganso made the most of a rare start for Sevilla this weekend by netting the two goals that downed doomed Granada at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. After something of a wobble, Los Rojiblancos have collected seven points from nine in the league.
13. RB Leipzig (Stay)
Last week's win guaranteed RB Leipzig Champions League football for next season, so the motivation will have dropped off a little. Still, a draw away to an up-and-down Schalke side is fine.
12. Tottenham Hotspur (-1)
Tottenham were so impressive on Saturday in their FA Cup semi-final, but for all of their dominance and possession, Chelsea countered it with wily know-how and ruthless effectiveness. A 4-2 scoreline flattered the Blues, but these are the tough lessons in football Spurs must learn.
11. Benfica (+1)
Benfica escaped the Alvalade, home of their inner-city rivals Sporting CP, with a point on Saturday thanks to a Victor Lindelof strike in the second half. They're still top of Liga NOS by three.
10. Napoli
4 of 13
Last Week: 10th
Movement: None
Napoli could only draw with Sassuolo on Sunday, but to be fair to them, even managing two goals was an achievement given the heavy kicking they received at the MAPEI Stadium.
They dominated the game and struck the woodwork a number of times. A few inches either side, and a slice more composure, and this would've been a typical big win for the Partenopei.
But now they face the possibility of having to settle for third place in Serie A. They've had such a good season, it'd be a shame to see them regress (positionally) in the league.
9. Borussia Dortmund
5 of 13
Last Week: 9th
Movement: None
Borussia Dortmund bowed out of the Champions League last week with a second loss to Monaco, enabling BVB manager Thomas Tuchel to assign his full focus to making sure he gets the club into the competition next season.
They left it incredibly late against Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend, seeing Raphael Guerreiro strike in the 87th minute to secure three points with a 3-2 win, and what an important full haul it could be: It allowed them to leapfrog Hoffenheim in the table and into third.
8. Chelsea
6 of 13
Last Week: 8th
Movement: None
Chelsea bounced back from their limp loss to Manchester United last weekend to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 in their FA Cup semi-final.
Again, it was not a perfect showing, and they're through to the final largely thanks to their ruthless finishing. Eden Hazard turned the game on its head with a spectacular showing, and Nemanja Matic scored one of the best goals you'll see in years from outside the box.
But as Frank Lampard stated on BBC's live television coverage: "You don't have to play well, you just have to win" when it comes to cup semi-finals and finals. That's what the Blues did.
7. Paris Saint-Germain
7 of 13
Last Week: 7th
Movement: None
Paris Saint-Germain kept their impressive win streak alive last week by collecting another six points from six. Metz gave them a stern examination, but they emerged 3-2 winners, then Montpellier fell 2-0 this weekend.
Edinson Cavani's goal against the latter brought him to 50 for club and country (in all competitions) for the 2016-17 season; what a remarkable achievement that is for the Uruguayan. Angel Di Maria's excellent 2017 also continued, as he netted his fifth goal in five games.
6. Atletico Madrid
8 of 13
Last Week: 6th
Movement: None
It might not be particularly pretty, but Atletico Madrid have returned to their old ways, and it's treating them well.
A 1-0 win over Espanyol this weekend continued their charge toward automatic Champions League football next season, and just days before they put in a typically gritty performance at the King Power Stadium to see off Leicester City.
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline to emanate from Los Colchoneros' week is the fact Jose Maria Gimenez can now apparently play anywhere he likes. A centre-back by trade, he played well in midfield against Leicester and then performed brilliantly at right-back against Espanyol.
5. Bayern Munich
9 of 13
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: -2
Things have come toppling down a little for Carlo Ancelotti this past seven days—though it should be noted not all of it is his fault.
The debacle at the Santiago Bernabeu left a sour taste in the mouth of all football fans. The numerous poor decisions may have robbed the German powerhouse of a spot in the Champions League semi-finals, though for the purposes of these European Club Rankings, it is simply marked down as a loss.
A 2-2 draw with Mainz at the weekend further sowed the seeds of discontent. Their impending Bundesliga title is not in jeopardy, but a limp end to the season may beckon.
4. Barcelona
10 of 13
Last Week: 5th
Movement: +1
In football, bad results and bad nights can happen. No one is immune to disappointment and failure, and all a manager can ask for is an appropriate response.
Luis Enrique was given just that on Sunday night, as Barcelona emerged victorious in one of the best Clasicos in recent memory. Lionel Messi's genius display, inclusive of an incredible late winner 10 seconds from time, breathes life into the club's title challenge and heaps pressure on Real Madrid.
After huffing and puffing fruitlessly against Juventus midweek, dropping out of the Champions League goalless over two legs against the Italian titans, this was a performance that restores confidence and belief ahead of the domestic run-in.
3. Monaco
11 of 13
Last Week: 4th
Movement: +1
The remarkable Monaco story continues. At the beginning of the season, had you told us Monaco would be a likely Ligue 1 winner and Champions League semi-finalist in 2016-17, we'd have scoffed, but then again we wouldn't have expected RB Leipzig to rock the Bundesliga to its core either. This is the beauty of football.
The rise of Monaco, the rise of Kylian Mbappe, the fixing of Radamel Falcao...they have been arguably the best story in football this campaign. They beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 last week to set up a date with Juventus next month, and they beat Lyon away to continue their impressive title tilt.
It's time to stop underestimating how excellent this team is.
2. Real Madrid
12 of 13
Last Week: 1st
Movement: -1
Real Madrid have endured one of the most emotionally draining weeks of the season.
Their dramatic come-from-behind victory over Bayern Munich midweek paved their path to the Champions League semi-finals, and just five days later, they welcomed Barcelona to the Bernabeu for this season's second instalment of El Clasico.
There, they took the lead, drew level later on despite being reduced to 10 men, and were then sucker-punched by a moment of Lionel Messi magic. All of a sudden, Los Blancos have gone from being on course for a double to glancing nervously at their old rivals while grimacing at the prospect of a two-legged affair with neighbours Atletico Madrid.
It's amazing how perspectives can change so quickly in football, isn't it?
1. Juventus
13 of 13
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: +1
Juventus take advantage of Real Madrid's Clasico loss to usurp them in our European Club Rankings. It's the first time all season they've held the No. 1 spot—what a time to peak, eh?
They saw off a Champions League second leg at the Camp Nou in a fashion Paris Saint-Germain could only dream of. They drew 0-0, securing a 3-0 aggregate win, and after the game, Max Allegri quipped: "We could have played for a whole day and not conceded."
This weekend, they stretched their lead at the summit of Serie A with a thumping 4-0 win over Genoa. The ease with which they win games now was hammered home when Leonardo Bonucci sauntered forward from his own half and drove a stunning strike into the top corner from distance.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
