European Club Power Rankings After March 2-4 Matches
There are times when football drives us apart, entrenches us in separate camps supporting different teams. But there are also times when it brings us together.
Fiorentina captain Davide Astori's tragic death on Sunday was an example of the latter, as together the world mourned the loss of a human life. Ciao, Capitano.
Serie A postponed Sunday's games following the news.
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These 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 opponents get a boost.
20. Monaco (New!)
It's time to bring Monaco back into the top 20. They have recovered from a serious pre-Christmas wobble and terrible European campaign to find a relentless streak of form domestically.
19. Schalke (+1)
Schalke's past three opponents—Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin—have all been tough, and the nine points accrued from them legitimises the Royal Blue as a contender for second in the Bundesliga.
18. Shakhtar Donetsk (Stay)
A second-half push brought three goals and another victory for Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday, with Karpaty Lviv on the wrong end of it. Shakhtar are now in the midst of a break ahead of their Champions League round-of-16 second leg with Roma.
17. FC Porto (Stay)
Porto have finally caught up on Liga NOS games and are sitting five points clear at the top. Friday's victory over Sporting CP spelled out just how dominant they are in domestic play.
16. Inter Milan (-1)
Serie A's postponement of Sunday's games means the Derby della Madonnina will take place on another day.
15. Lazio (-2)
Lazio endured a tough week, losing to AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on penalties and conceding in the 93rd minute to Juventus, throwing away a point against the champions.
When you come so close to two outstanding results, it can take a little while to recover. The Biancocelesti can't allow this to happen with Dynamo Kiev on their way for a UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie.
14. Chelsea (-2)
The performance Chelsea served up at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday was bizarre, confusing and alarming all at the same time, leaving fans with a slew of questions:
- Why does Antonio Conte persist with Eden Hazard up front with no tangible plan to bring him into the game?
- Why sign a second target man in January if he's just going to sit next to the first one on the bench?
- What kind of game plan produces an xG rating of 0.1, per Caley Graphics?
- Why were the players literally walking around for sections of the game?
13. Valencia (+1)
Valencia faced a possession onslaught from Real Betis on Sunday but managed to negotiate a tricky fixture and come out 2-0 winners.
What will concern supporters is that Santi Mina was withdrawn injured in the first half, as he's sparked their attack of late. But at least his replacement, Simone Zaza, netted the all-important second goal on Sunday.
12. Roma (+4)
No team is as up and down as Roma. If it's infuriating from a rankings perspective, we can only imagine what it's like for the club's fans.
After losing in consecutive matches to AC Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, the Giallorossi beat Serie A leaders Napoli 4-2 on Saturday to launch themselves back into third place in the table.
11. Real Madrid (-1)
All of Barcelona celebrated on Tuesday evening, as Espanyol defeated Real Madrid 1-0 to further compound a disappointing domestic season for the European champions.
It was in the previous rankings that we were praising the fact Los Blancos had appeared to locate a spine, and they responded with a result like this. La Liga is secondary; it is all on the Champions League. There's nothing else at stake for them.
10. Manchester United (+1)
Manchester United take on an injury-ravaged Crystal Palace on Monday. A win will take them back into second place in the Premier League, above Liverpool.
9. Tottenham Hotspur (Stay)
Tottenham Hotspur made light work of Huddersfield Town on Saturday, with two Heung-Min Son goals enough to secure the three points.
That's all manager Mauricio Pochettino will have wanted ahead of the return leg with Juventus on Wednesday: a less-than-strenuous warm-up game at Wembley Stadium.
8. Napoli (Stay)
Napoli aren't the first and won't be the last to fall foul of an Alisson Becker master class in goal for Roma this season, but this one came at a bad time.
With Juventus snatching a victory over Lazio in the closing moments, the pressure was once again on Napoli to follow suit. They couldn't get the better of the Brazil international between the posts—he racked up an astonishing 12 saves.
7. Atletico Madrid (-1)
Atletico's blistering eight-game winning streak was brought to a halt at the Camp Nou on Sunday. They lost 1-0 to a Lionel Messi free-kick, and as that ball struck the back of the net, any hopes of a title race in Spain disappeared.
In a tight affair, Diego Simeone's men managed little in the way of goalscoring chances; their xG score finished at 0.2, per Caley Graphics. That is a stark departure from the free-scoring mode Antoine Griezmann and Co. have been in of late.
6. Liverpool (+1)
The Premier League table is starting to look good for Liverpool; they are firmly ensconced in the top four, seven points ahead of fifth-place Chelsea, as they continue to ride this impressive second wind.
They look fitter than most (Jurgen Klopp has been maniacally rotating throughout the season), sharper than most (Roberto Firmino is in the form of his life) and more solid than ever (Virgil van Dijk has been a godsend). That's a wicked trio of strengths to be boasting in early March.
5. Paris Saint-Germain (Stay)
Unai Emery did what he could to freshen up his Paris Saint-Germain squad on Saturday, allowing fringe and youth options some game time against Troyes as the big guns rested ahead of Real Madrid's visit on Tuesday.
It meant Christopher Nkunku (20) started and played 90 minutes, while Timothy Weah (18), son of the legendary George Weah, grabbed a 12-minute debut off the bench.
4. Juventus (Stay)
Juventus snatched a victory in stoppage time against Lazio on Saturday, with Paulo Dybala producing a remarkable finish that proved to be even more crucial a few hours later.
With Napoli going on to lose to Roma, Dybala's goal pulled the Bianconeri to within a point of their title rivals—and the Old Lady have a game in hand.
This stubbornness is why the Scudetto race is going to go to the wire.
3. Bayern Munich (Stay)
Bayern spend their domestic matchdays pumping sides, putting four, five or six in the net at times. You would think that would make it a happy, easy place to be, but it seems there is tangible concern at the club over who will be the manager next season.
They are seemingly desperate for Jupp Heynckes to carry on, but he won't do it. He's 72 and wants to call time on his career (again). Sport BILD's Christian Falk says the new man will be announced in before April.
2. Manchester City (Stay)
Manchester City accrued a third win in the space of seven days on Sunday, beating Arsenal 3-0 on two occasions before seeing off Chelsea 1-0. It's a hell of a week on paper.
But the reality is these wins came eerily easily. The Arsenal victories were perhaps devalued after the Gunners then went and lost to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Chelsea turned up at the Etihad Stadium with the simple intent of walking around a bit.
This isn't to criticise City's part in proceedings, though. The football they played on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium was among the best many of us will have seen.
1. Barcelona (Stay)
Manchester City may have had a great week, but Barcelona's victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday was enough to keep them in top spot.
It made up for what was a rather disappointing midweek draw with Las Palmas, extending their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points—a seemingly insurmountable gap.
Barca may simply be getting by with Lionel Messi free-kicks and a stubborn defensive outlook, but it's tough to knock that approach when it has left them 11 games from an unbeaten league season.
