European Club Power Rankings After January 5-7 Matches
Welcome back to the action, La Liga. We missed you dearly.
The Spanish league's restart didn't disappoint. Diego Costa scored on his second full debut for Atletico Madrid and was then sent off for entering the crowd in celebration; Barcelona crushed Levante while half-unveiling Philippe Coutinho; and Real Madrid were lucky to avoid defeat to Celta Vigo as their troubles continued.
All this, in addition to FA Cup action, a packed Serie A schedule and a touch of Primeira Liga, meant fans were fed well over the weekend.
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The rankings are a season-long measurement of clubs, tracking teams throughout 2017/18 and taking into account results from all competitions.
Sides that have lost the fewest games naturally rank higher—though the strength of opposition met in a loss is considered—and both UEFA Champions League form and presence are used as tiebreakers for those with similar records. Teams that gather big wins against strong opposition get a boost.
20. Arsenal (-2)
FA Cup holders Arsenal were knocked out at the earliest possible point this time round, falling to Nottingham Forest in a game which—from a neutral's perspective—truly had it all. From Arsene Wenger's viewpoint (in the director's box), though, it will have looked a lot like the definition of a shambles.
19. Schalke 04 (+1)
Schalke are on a winter break. They'll resume Bundesliga duties on Saturday away to RB Leipzig.
18. FC Porto (+1)
FC Porto entertained against Vitoria Guimaraes as expected, netting four goals in a second-half blitz. The 4-2 win keeps them top of Liga NOS.
17. AS Roma (-4)
Roma's 2-1 defeat to Atalanta this weekend made it three losses from their last four games in all competitions, continuing their dismal run.
One issue head coach Eusebio Di Francesco must sort out is the Giallorossi's inability to fight their way back into games; in the seven games where they have conceded the first goal this term, six have been lost and one (Chelsea, 3-3) drawn.
16. Lyon (+1)
Lyon had Marcelo and Maxwel Cornet to thank on Saturday, as the two netted a goal each late against Nancy to ensure progression in the French Cup. Marcelo's strike came in the 87th minute, Cornet's in the 94th.
15. Valencia (+1)
Perhaps a winter reset was just what Valencia needed? It's too soon to tell entirely, but they've made a fantastic start to the new year, grabbing an away draw with Las Palmas in the Copa del Rey and beating Girona in La Liga. Unsurprisingly, Goncalo Guedes sparkled during the latter match.
14. Lazio (+1)
When Lazio are hot, they're really hot. Recently their attack has caught fire, and you simply wouldn't want to get in the way of Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto and Co. when they're in this kind of mood.
13. Inter Milan (-1)
A 1-1 draw away to Fiorentina is, in isolation, a perfectly acceptable result for most clubs in Serie A, so Inter should be commended for managing as much.
From a more downbeat perspective, though, it's another game without a three-point haul, making it five on the trot; during that time, Juventus and Napoli have pulled well clear of them in the table.
The fallow festive period has cost the Nerazzurri any shot at the Scudetto, and now they must focus on the bare minimum—a return to the Champions League.
12. Tottenham Hotspur (+2)
In an unforgiving mood, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to start a strong XI in the FA Cup against AFC Wimbledon, including Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele.
The 3-0 win that followed surprised no one, though what was perhaps more pleasing was that Jan Vertonghen finally scored his first goal for the club (and what a strike it was) for five years, and Victor Wanyama started a game for the first time since August.
11. Chelsea (-1)
This past week saw Chelsea produce two successive draws, with fans far happier with the first (away to Arsenal) than the other (against Norwich City in the FA Cup).
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the latter game was the return of David Luiz, brought back in from the cold to start his first game since November. Antonio Conte was already having trouble fitting Antonio Rudiger into his defensive line, so what happens now with a further body added to the mix?
10. Atletico Madrid (+1)
If Atletico Madrid were the type of club to make new year's resolutions, then scoring more goals would have been the first one proffered by manager Diego Simeone.
They're off to a good start in that respect, with Costa bolstering the strike force and immediately making his presence felt, netting in both cup and league action.
Sadly, he'll be suspended for Los Colchoneros' next game after he entered the crowd to celebrate his goal against Getafe on Saturday and received a red card.
9. Liverpool (Stay)
The TV cameras zoomed in on Virgil van Dijk's debut for Liverpool on Friday and refused to relent, catching every move the record-breaking £75 million defender made.
Fortunately for the Dutchman, he bucked the Liverpool centre-back trend: Instead of making a grievous error that led to a goal, he scored the winner late on, rising for a corner and steering it past onrushing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
This hot start in the cup, in addition to the strong recent form on show, will perhaps go some way to easing fans' concerns over the loss of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
8. Manchester United (Stay)
Two outstanding bits of attacking play late on paved the way for Manchester United to edge their way past Derby County on Friday.
First, Jesse Lingard's sumptuous strike from outside the box finally gave the Red Devils the breakthrough; shortly after, Romelu Lukaku's excellent control and touch in the buildup to his goal dropped jaws around Old Trafford.
Add this to the 2-0 win over Everton on New Year's Day that closed out the festive fixtures, and United are on the way to making up for consecutive draws against Leicester City, Burnley and Southampton.
7. Real Madrid (Stay)
Real Madrid were genuinely fortunate to escape Balaidos with a draw against Celta Vigo on Sunday night.
They struggled defensively all evening, giving up huge swathes of space to Iago Aspas, Daniel Wass and Co., and that resulted in an avalanche of clear-cut chances the hosts should have made more of. Celta also missed a penalty and should have been awarded a second spot-kick late on.
The gap to Barcelona in first place? Just 16 points...
6. Napoli (Stay)
It took 65 minutes for Napoli to find a way past Verona on Saturday, with Kalidou Koulibaly breaking the deadlock when he forced home a header from as close to the goal line as you can get without crossing it.
Jose Callejon added another a little later to ensure the scoreline reflected what a simple day's work it had been for the Partenopei, completing an acceptable "response" to the Coppa Italia loss to Atalanta four days earlier.
5. Bayern Munich (-1)
Bayern are on a winter break. They will resume Bundesliga duties on Friday away to Bayer Leverkusen.
4. Juventus (+1)
Juventus have been relentless of late, winning four straight games, conceding just once in their last 11 games in all competitions and continuing to pile the pressure on Napoli atop Serie A.
Two months ago, there were questions surrounding this team, and genuine belief was building in some quarters that the Scudetto would be ripped from their grasp for the first time since 2011.
Now, though, they're showing the stamina of champions, getting better and better as the season wears on, and they have put themselves in great positions in both the league and cup.
3. Paris Saint-Germain (Stay)
PSG returned to action with a thumping 6-1 victory over Rennes, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Angel Di Maria each grabbing a brace.
This was the start of their defence of the Coupe de France, and as far as everyone else who progressed to the next round is concerned, they are the team to avoid in the draw.
2. Manchester City (Stay)
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester City fell behind to an Ashley Barnes strike for Burnley on Saturday, but all that did was anger the beast.
Pep Guardiola's men came out firing in the second half, a quick-fire double from Sergio Aguero turned the game on its head, and Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva added further strikes for good measure. This result keeps up City's hopes of a quadruple.
1. Barcelona (Stay)
Barcelona, feel free to kick back and enjoy what you accomplished this week.
- Dominant win to kickstart La Liga in 2018? Check.
- Clean sheet? Check.
- Ousmane Dembele back in action? Check.
- Philippe Coutinho signed, sealed and delivered to the Camp Nou? Check.
It's a good time to be a Cule.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
