European Club Power Rankings After March 30-April 1 Matches
There are times when you would be forgiven for mistaking the fixture computer for football's version of Santa Claus; weekends such as the one just gone are evidence as to why.
Chelsea vs. Tottenham, Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla vs. Barcelona, Juventus vs. AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Monaco and even the LA Derby in MLS. What a weekend of action it was to come back to after an international break—and the fun continues this week as the Champions League quarter-finals kick off!
These rankings are a season-long measurement of clubs, tracking teams throughout 2017/18 and taking into account results from all competitions.
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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 enjoy big wins against strong opponents get a boost.
20. Marseille (New!)
There's a French swap deal in the lower reaches as Marseille replace Monaco. L'OM beat Dijon at the weekend and have reached the quarter-final stage of a competitive Europa League, which trumps the latter's effort of being soundly beaten in the Coupe de la Ligue final.
19. RB Leipzig (+1)
Emil Forsberg got his name on the scoresheet for the first time since November this past weekend, netting the opener in RB Leipzig's nervy 3-2 win over Hannover. His injury-hit season has been misdiagnosed by some as a regression to the norm; perhaps now he can spark into life?
18. Sevilla (+1)
So close.
You'd think Sevilla would be proud of holding Barcelona to a draw this weekend, but the fact they conceded twice in the dying stages to surrender three points is worrying.
Heading into a week where lapses and errors will be punished ruthlessly by Bayern Munich, it's not the ideal warm-up.
17. Schalke 04 (Stay)
Schalke made it six wins in a row this weekend by defeating Freiburg 2-0. That's an achievement no matter the league—even some of the biggest and best sides in Europe have struggled to put such runs together in 2017-18—and Domenico Tedesco's men should be lauded.
16. Lazio (Stay)
Lazio destroyed Benevento 6-2 this weekend, with Ciro Immobile strengthening his Capocannoniere claim with a brace that takes him to 26 Serie A goals for the season.
To see them put six past a side without the services of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was an eyebrow-raiser, and even Lucas Leiva was scoring beauties from distance. Some days, everything just goes right.
15. Chelsea (-1)
Sunday presented an absolute must-win fixture for Chelsea in the form of Tottenham Hotspur at home, and despite going ahead in the first half and dominating large portions of it, they ended up losing 3-1.
That's indicative of how flimsy this team have become under Antonio Conte's watch this season. They enjoy good patches and often take the lead but then retreat into their shells lose any momentum gained.
They're eight points off fourth now. The Europa League beckons.
14. Inter Milan (+1)
You train all week, plan for every eventuality, deliver a final talk and then send your 11 men out onto the field to do their jobs. How it feels to see all of that ripped apart inside 50 seconds, following a throw-in, must be awful.
Spare a thought for Fabio Pecchia, Verona manager, who watched his team forget to mark Mauro Icardi from a simple set piece, and allow him to rifle home not long after kick-off. It only got worse from there as Inter won 3-0.
13. Valencia (Stay)
Third place isn't out of the question for Valencia, who continue to churn out victories and don't have any other competitions to worry about. If Real Madrid slip up either side of these Juventus fixtures—or either side of any potential semi-finals—los Che's 2017-18 campaign could get even better.
12. AS Roma (-1)
If you're looking for miss of the season contenders, check Kevin Strootman's against Bologna in their 1-1 draw. Smacking the post from just a few yards is a good way of setting the tone for an underwhelming performance.
With Inter Milan roaring again, Lazio in touching distance and Barcelona next up, this is an ill-timed wobble.
11. Tottenham Hotspur (+1)
A first victory at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era, a first since 1990. Savour it, Spurs fans. London is yours.
Christian Eriksen was incredible, Dele Alli netted twice in a week where he's been roundly criticised, Harry Kane returned way earlier than expected and Erik Lamela put in a bulldog performance. Gold stars all round.
10. Napoli (-1)
Watching Napoli at the moment is an excruciating process. They really want that Scudetto and have worked so hard to get this point, but the nerves are creating fissures in their performances.
The 1-1 draw earned this weekend against a poor Sassuolo side isn't enough. That Juventus beat AC Milan 3-1 just a few hours later really hammered that point home.
9. Manchester United (+1)
For the first time in a while, Manchester United were pleasant to watch in their 2-0 win over Swansea this weekend. They played some fluid, fearless stuff, with Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard dealing some serious damage.
Lukaku reaching 100 Premier League goals is a big achievement, but it's perhaps Alexis' performance that will have warmed Old Trafford hearts the most. While Lukaku's been consistently great lately, and Lingard's rise has been well charted, Sanchez has barely been able to gain a footing since arriving in January.
Perhaps that changes here.
8. Atletico Madrid (Stay)
The same weekend of football may well have produced both the miss and the tackle of the season. Where Strootman was responsible for the former, Lucas Hernandez produced the latter.
The Frenchman came hurtling in from nowhere to prevent Deportivo La Coruna testing Jan Oblak in a one-on-one scenario with the score at 1-0, and that intervention played a big part in Atletico's three-point haul. Wins without Antoine Griezmann don't come easy, but at least they do come.
7. Paris Saint-Germain (Stay)
PSG picked up their second piece of silverware this weekend, adding the Coupe de la Ligue to the Trophees des Champions acquired back in July. They're not the cups the owner demands, but you'll still take them.
"That assist though...
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 31, 2018"
Kylian Mbappe stepping out of Neymar’s shadow in the Coupe de la Ligue final pic.twitter.com/cpbvmKsPWB
The team they beat in the final—Monaco—are no slouches, and the 3-0 scoreline didn't flatter them. Neymar's still injured, but Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe ensured the Brazilian wasn't missed.
6. Real Madrid (Stay)
Real Madrid made light work of their opponents this weekend with a 3-0 win, easing into gear ahead of a very important week. We've not been able to type the first part of that sentence often enough this season, but the tide does seem to be turning for Zinedine Zidane now.
Once Gareth Bale had scored the opener Las Palmas' fight mostly evaporated, and with Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dani Carvajal and more not even in the squad, they should be rested and ready to face Juventus.
5. Liverpool (Stay)
It's a results business, football, and that's a value that transfers to these rankings too. So the fact Liverpool played abysmally at Selhurst Park on Saturday doesn't really matter; the point is they won 2-1 against Crystal Palace, and in doing so essentially wrapped up a top-four finish.
Jurgen Klopp will know his midfield's sluggishness was likely a one-off, as was Virgil van Dijk's error in possession. What he can't count on, though, is Trent Alexander-Arnold learning from his mistakes against Wilfried Zaha in time for Leroy Sane on Wednesday. That must be a worry.
4. Bayern Munich (Stay)
Perhaps "Der Klassiker" isn't what it was when Jurgen Klopp was around, but to see Bayern Munich win their rivalry match with Borussia Dortmund 6-0 is indicative of just how far ahead of everyone else in the Bundesliga this team are.
Sevilla may have been hoping for it to be more of a tussle, for it to sap a bit more from Bayern's legs, but this week they'll face a side fresh off a morale-boosting victory earned at a canter.
3. Juventus (Stay)
Juventus passed a big test this weekend, negotiating a tricky tie with AC Milan and in the process extending their lead at the top of Serie A.
That Leonardo Bonucci returned to Turin and scored surprised no one—sometimes things are written in the stars—but the Old Lady overcame that, with Paulo Dybala in particular sparkling in victory.
Now, to the small task of locking horns with the reigning European champions...
2. Manchester City (Stay)
Watching City knock the ball around is a marvellous exercise. It's so effortless and clean nowadays, it really does evoke memories of Pep Guardiola's peak Barcelona sides at times.
Their 3-1 destruction of Everton was eye-popping at certain moments, with Sane, David Silva and Gabriel Jesus combining mercilessly in the final third. One more win, at home against Manchester United, seals the title.
1. Barcelona (Stay)
With Barcelona staring at the prospect of their unbeaten La Liga season fizzling out, two heroes stepped up. Their names? Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
The first struck in the 88th minute, reducing Sevilla's lead to just a single goal. A minute later the latter scored, drawing the Blaugrana level and rescuing a point from the jaws of defeat.
Thirty-seven games unbeaten. One more (next week, vs. Leganes) equals the record. Two more beats it.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
