European Club Rankings: Arsenal, Dortmund, PSG and Barcelona Enjoy Cup Success
This is your penultimate edition of the European Club Rankings for the 2016-17 season. You have been warned; make peace with the announcement and prepare for a barren summer.
This weekend was all about two things: the culmination of domestic cup competitions and the final day of Serie A. Roma pipped Napoli to second, Juventus made history, Marco Reus finally won a major trophy and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger won his third FA Cup in the last four seasons.
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 are used as tiebreakers for those with similar records.
25-21
1 of 13
25. OGC Nice (Stay)
OGC Nice's season has finished. They'll be awaiting their Champions League play-off draw to see who they face into the group stage.
24. FC Porto (Stay)
FC Porto endured a disappointing season in the end. Despite finishing second in Liga NOS (and pushing Benfica a long way) and making the round of 16 in the Champions League, the win percentage was low and manager Nuno has been sacked.
23. Hoffenheim (Stay)
With a Champions League play-off match on the horizon, Hoffenheim will be looking at ways to replace their Bayern Munich-bound stars Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy early on.
22. Ajax (-2)
Lost in disappointing but predictable circumstances in the Europa League final. They just couldn't break a resilient Manchester United side down.
21. Atalanta (+1)
Atalanta finished the season with two wins on the bounce, taking them to 72 points overall. That is a phenomenal achievement that should not be ignored.
20-16
2 of 13
20. Lazio (-4)
Wow, Lazio really threw the towel in, didn't they? Four straight losses to end the season—one of which was in the Coppa Italia final—sees them drop towards the bottom of these rankings.
19. Arsenal (+2)
Arsenal haul themselves back into the top 20 just in time for the final cut. Their performance against Chelsea in the FA Cup final was nothing short of outstanding.
18. Liverpool (+1)
Liverpool have dodged a bullet. They've managed to secure themselves the fourth-seeded spot for the Champions League play-offs, meaning they're going to draw an OGC Nice or Hoffenheim, not a Napoli or Sevilla.
17. Sevilla (-1)
Sevilla's summer of uncertainty has already begun. Jorge Sampaoli has left, taking up the Argentina national job. That's him and director of football Monchi gone before August.
16. Manchester City (-1)
Talk about acting fast! Man City have released a score of older, bit-part players and signed Bernardo Silva from Monaco. Pep Guardiola is well aware of his squad's shortcomings, and he's fixing them fast.
15-11
3 of 13
15. Manchester United (+2)
Jose Mourinho won the Europa League final that grated on many. But while resorting to physical, long-ball tactics with such an expensive squad irritated many, the key metric in football is wins, and United hauled in a very important one. Two trophies and Champions League football. It's a successful season for the Red Devils, somehow.
14. RB Leipzig (Stay)
RB Leipzig's feet are up, and they're planning how to tackle a campaign that will include a lot more games than 2016-17 did.
13. Roma (Stay)
Roma waved an emotional, tear-fuelled goodbye to club legend Francesco Totti on Sunday. They beat Genoa 3-2 at a sold-out Olimpico, but the game was essentially second to the occasion (despite it being a cracker).
12. Benfica (Stay)
Benfica triumphed over Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 in the Taca de Portugal final on Sunday, completing a domestic double.
11. Tottenham Hotspur (Stay)
The question was asked on social media on Saturday as to whether Arsenal, having won the FA Cup, have snuck their way to a better season than rivals Tottenham. Silverware is important, but surely the team who qualified for the Champions League had the superior campaign?
10. Napoli
4 of 13
Last Week: 9th
Movement: -1
Napoli move down a spot despite winning 4-2 away from home. If you think that's harsh—and it is a touch so—know that they make way for a team who won silverware at the weekend.
The Partenopei hauled in a ridiculous 43 points away from the Stadio San Paolo, seven more than Juventus managed. It's the same number they managed on home soil, making them one of the most well-rounded, all-purpose teams in football.
9. Borussia Dortmund
5 of 13
Last Week: 10th
Movement: +1
Borussia Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal this weekend, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1. It came at a cost, though, and the win was bittersweet, as Marco Reus sustained a serious injury and might miss the rest of the year, per the club's official website.
It was the 27-year-old's first major trophy won in his career, which is incredible. He missed out on Dortmund's golden period, missed Germany's World Cup win due to injury and has so often been runner-up in his time at Signal Iduna Park.
No longer.
8. Paris Saint-Germain
6 of 13
Last Week: 8th
Movement: None
Wow, talk about cutting it fine!
Unai Emery was already under immense pressure heading into the Coupe de France final, and his team nearly messed it up. The 1-0 win over Angers came as a result of a 91st-minute Issa Cissokho own goal!
PSG dominated proceedings, but their teams of old would have won this match by four or five. The capital side just haven't convinced at any stage this season, and while Emery's job has been confirmed as safe for 2017-18, he surely enters the campaign on the hot seat.
7. Atletico Madrid
7 of 13
Last Week: 7th
Movement: None
It's been quiet for Atletico Madrid since their season finished. Antoine Griezmann playing basketball just about covers it.
6. Chelsea
8 of 13
Last Week: 5th
Movement: -1
Chelsea were heavy favourites to win the FA Cup on Saturday but turned in one of their worst performances of the season en route to a 2-1 loss. The word "shocking" doesn't quite cover it.
They were disadvantaged by the referee early on when Alexis Sanchez's opener was, remarkably, allowed to stand, but the fact Arsenal could easily have been four up at half-time hammers the story of the match home.
Should the in-form Cesc Fabregas have started?
5. Bayern Munich
9 of 13
Last Week: 6th
Movement: +1
Bayern Munich didn't have to kick a ball to move into fifth. Chelsea's poor performance did all the work for them.
4. Monaco
10 of 13
Last Week: 4th
Movement: None
Monaco are still basking in the glow of their Ligue 1 title victory, but the much-feared summer exodus of star talent has already begun and has therefore spoiled the celebrations a little.
Bernardo Silva, one of their finest players throughout 2016-17, has departed for Manchester City. He's widely expected to be the first of many to head for the door.
3. Barcelona
11 of 13
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: None
Barcelona were able to send Luis Enrique out on a high. It's been far from a perfect season for the club, but they've ended it with a Copa del Rey victory at least.
The final saw Lionel Messi produce one of his best performances of the season, having a hand in all three goals and netting one of them himself. Even Andre Gomes came off the bench to grab an assist!
2. Juventus
12 of 13
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: None
Max Allegri gave Juventus fans a series of heart attacks on Sunday that had very little to do with the last-gasp victory achieved over Bologna.
A week before the Champions League final, he rested most of his stars but played Gonzalo Higuain for 90 minutes and Paulo Dybala for 80, leaving supporters fretting over every tackle or collision.
Everyone came away unscathed, though, and Allegri even managed to facilitate a bit of history: Moise Kean, who came on for Dybala with 10 minutes to go, became the first millennial to score in Europe's top five leagues.
You can read a full scouting profile on Kean here.
1. Real Madrid
13 of 13
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
La Liga has finished, and Real Madrid didn't make the Copa del Rey final, so their focus is solely on one thing: the Champions League final. They go into the match as the strongest team in Europe and favourites to lift the trophy.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
