European Club Rankings After August 11-14 Matches
Slowly, Europe's top leagues are waking up and then exploding back into action. The Premier League joined Ligue 1, Liga NOS and the Eredivisie at the weekend by kicking off, and we will soon welcome La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A sides back to competitive action too.
Here, we present this term's second edition of our European Club Rankings. Last week's was something of a table-setter—a pre-season look and projection—but now we can delve into some actual results and start seeing the real strength of these teams.
The rankings are a season-long measurement of clubs, just like last term; it tracks teams throughout 2017/18, taking into account results from all competitions.
Teams that have lost the fewest games naturally rank higher—though the strength of opposition met in a loss is considered—and Champions League form and presence are used as tiebreakers for those with similar records.
20-16
1 of 12
20. Chelsea (-9)
Chelsea just seem thoroughly unprepared for the season ahead. It's as if manager Antonio Conte accidentally marked the start of the season on the wrong month in his calendar, leading himself and the club to believe they had an extra 30 days to get things in place.
An embarrassing home loss to Burnley evoked fearful memories of a similarly poor performance against Swansea City to kick off the 2015-16 season. Being one man and three goals down at half-time to a team who lost their best defender and striker over the summer is the stuff of nightmares.
19. Sevilla (-1)
Sevilla kick off their La Liga season with a home game against Espanyol on Saturday. Having a new manager and a host of new players would throw some clubs used to stability, but Los Rojiblancos are not one of them.
18. AC Milan (+1)
AC Milan should be sharp and ready by the time the trip to Crotone rolls round on Saturday, as they will have played three competitive European fixtures already. They have won the two which have taken place so far, and they face KF Shkendija on Thursday.
17. Lazio (New!)
A surprise Supercoppa Italiana victory over Juventus set Lazio in motion for the season. Ciro Immobile's double put them in the driving seat, before Alessandro Murgia sealed the win deep into stoppage time.
16. AS Roma (-3)
AS Roma's last pre-season friendly saw them 4-0 down at half-time to Celta Vigo. We're wise enough not to read too much into those kinds of results, but they're not helping to ease fans' concerns over the strength of this squad.
15-11
2 of 12
15. Liverpool (Stay)
Liverpool's opening Premier League performance at Watford went almost entirely as expected: porous in defence, yet exhilarating in attack. So, basically, nothing has changed.
14. RB Leipzig (+3)
RB Leipzig warmed up for the Bundesliga's opening festivities at the weekend in fine style, defeating lowly Sportfreunde 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal. Creative force Emil Forsberg was missing, but Marcel Sabitzer stepped in and ran the show.
13. Napoli (-4)
The big Serie A kick-off can't come quick enough, as that means we get to watch Napoli play beautiful football on a weekly basis again. They only move down due to the natural shuffling of the rankings, and they are disadvantaged by the fact they're yet to play.
12. Manchester United (+2)
While it's important not to get too excited by one performance, Manchester United's destruction of West Ham United on Sunday felt like a statement victory.
All the parts clicked into place: Romelu Lukaku scored twice on his Old Trafford debut, Nemanja Matic changed the midfield makeup for the better, Paul Pogba put on a masterclass…even Phil Jones was solid and mistake-free at the back.
11. Arsenal (+5)
Football is a results game, and Arsenal have started this season by getting them. They beat Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on penalties to make it nine straight on that ground and then opened the Premier League season with a thrilling win over Leicester City.
10. Tottenham Hotspur
3 of 12
Last Week: 10th
Movement: None
It could have gone badly wrong for Tottenham Hotspur in their opening game.
Newcastle United away has always been a difficult fixture for the club—the last time they went there they lost 5-1, and in doing so, relinquished second place in the Premier League to Arsenal in 2015-16—so nerves were positively jangling in the build-up.
Worse, Kieran Trippier's injury-enforced absence meant Kyle Walker-Peters debuted at right-back in a hostile environment, while Victor Wanyama's absence from the starting XI sparked concern.
But Sunday's 2-0 victory oozed quality—even if it was aided by Jonjo Shelvey's red card—and it could easily have been four by the end. Had Harry Kane netted rather than smacked the post late on, it would have been a perfect day.
9. Monaco
4 of 12
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +3
Did we give up on AS Monaco a bit too soon? They may have lost several key men and the Trophee des Champions final to Paris Saint-Germain, but two straight Ligue 1 wins have shown they're still capable of getting the job done.
This latest win, 4-1 at Dijon, featured an exquisite Radamel Falcao curved, sort-of-lobbed finish that took the stadium's breath away. Kylian Mbappe didn't even start, yet it was still a hammering.
It's not all rosy, though. Star midfielder Fabinho has reiterated his desire to leave, per MailOnline, and that could rip up Leonardo Jardim's plans yet.
8. Manchester City
5 of 12
Last Week: 8th
Movement: None
Manchester City could—and should—have buried Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, but a 2-0 win constitutes a successful trip south regardless.
Pep Guardiola looked on in anguish in the first half as Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus missed huge chances to put his side ahead, and from his body language and general limb-thrashing, you can tell he is under immense pressure to deliver success this season—likely from himself just as much as the board.
It's a good start, though: a clean sheet, a goal for each of his strikers and a strong performance from debutant Kyle Walker.
7. Borussia Dortmund
6 of 12
Last Week: 7th
Movement: None
Borussia Dortmund breezed past Rielasingen-Arlen 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick and showcased his predatory skills in emphatic style.
For his second strike, the Gabon international produced a flicked one-on-one finish similar to the one he netted against Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
If that's to become a trademark of his, he's only going to become more difficult to stop.
6. Atletico Madrid
7 of 12
Last Week: 6th
Movement: None
Atletico Madrid look ready for the season. They have conceded just two goals in their last four pre-season outings, kept Antoine Griezmann and welcomed the important Augusto Fernandez back.
Given how bleak the summer was projected to pan out in May, this is one hell of a turnaround.
Atleti fans will rightly be optimistic about the chance of leapfrogging a troubled Barcelona into second and then perhaps set their sights on neighbours Real.
5. Barcelona
8 of 12
Last Week: 4th
Movement: -1
It's tempting to start smashing nails into Barcelona's coffin now. They've had a rough summer, losing one of the best players in the world, and they have started with a 3-1 home loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg.
But that first result could have been so different—if only the team's finishing had been up to scratch. Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez missed big chances with the scores either close or level, and Los Blancos punished them twice on the counter-attack late on.
Still, let's not be under any illusions: Barca need to get a move on in the market and secure some of their targets. This team needs reinforcement.
4. Juventus
9 of 12
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: -2
In the most un-Juventus of fashions, Max Allegri and Co. lost their opening game of the season—the Supercoppa Italiana—in the 93rd minute on Sunday.
They had gone two down to Lazio only to haul themselves level late on, then conceded at the end to an Alessandro Murgia conversion. It was like the world being turned upside down.
No one could blame fans of the Old Lady for being worried; they lost two star players over the summer, and now they've started the campaign by surrendering a trophy they shouldn't have.
3. Bayern Munich
10 of 12
Last Week: 5th
Movement: +2
Bayern Munich made light work of Chemnitzer in the DFB-Pokal first round this weekend, winning 5-0 thanks in part to a brace from Robert Lewandowski.
The club may have been besieged by injuries over the summer, but Carlo Ancelotti has handled things about as well as possible, winning both his first two games and easing players back into a competitive rhythm.
It will have been particularly pleasing to see David Alaba return to the pitch, given the stern test against Bayer Leverkusen that lies in wait on Friday.
2. Paris Saint-Germain
11 of 12
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: +1
Neymar made his debut for PSG at the Stade de Roudourou in Guingamp on Sunday evening, and what a start it was to his career in France.
He sparkled from start to finish, punishing his opponents with deft touches and slinking dribbles. He slid Edinson Cavani through on goal to finish with a sweet ball and then netted one for himself later on after being teed up by the Uruguayan.
The entire PSG side just looked delighted to be playing with him.
1. Real Madrid
12 of 12
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
Real Madrid have begun the campaign in fine fettle; so far, they've beaten Manchester United in the European Super Cup and Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup first leg.
Two excellent team performances have brought those victories, and they've netted some stupendous goals in the process. It was all looking rather glorious, until Cristiano Ronaldo was red-carded late against Barca, and he's set to miss the next five games (unless an appeal reduces the ban).
With a significant lead in the Super Cup in place, and the first four Liga fixtures against Deportivo La Coruna, Valencia, Levante and Real Sociedad, they should cope just fine.
However, the return of domestic football has already thrown up a number of ludicrous events and scenarios, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Los Blancos fall prey to one without their talisman.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
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