European Club Rankings After September 28-30 Matches
What a week of football that was. From midweek excitement through to a landmark weekend of big club tussles, excitement presented itself at every turn.
The Madrid derby, Chelsea vs. Liverpool in consecutive matches, Juventus facing Napoli...the European fixture list handed us drama and talking points on a consistent basis. And so many top teams dropped points.
This all plays a formative role in this week's European Club Rankings, a list of the continent's top teams in order of estimated strength and form at this stage of the season.
It was difficult to assemble this time around, given how poorly so many of our top order performed over the past seven days.
You can read the last set of rankings here.
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20. Marseille (-2)
Marseille's 3-0 loss to Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday evening leaves them clinging to a spot in these rankings by a thread. Serious improvement in the Europa League on Thursday is required.
19. Manchester United (-7)
We are, seemingly, only ever a week away from a Manchester United crisis. Last week went terribly for the Red Devils, losing to Derby County in the Carabao Cup on penalties at home, then to West Ham United 3-1 in the Premier League at the London Stadium.
Whether you want Jose Mourinho to stay or go, it's tough to defend rocking up to the capital, defending deep and fielding a back three including Scott McTominay in it. They'll have to bury all of the hysteria quickly, as Valencia will pile more misery on them on Tuesday in the Champions League if they don't get their heads straight.
18. Roma (+2)
Winning the Rome derby ticks one of the biggest objectives in the calendar, and it's a feat that completes a nice recovery week for Eusebio Di Francesco's men. They really needed this showing; they've been unconvincing so far this season.
17. Lazio (-3)
Perhaps we're starting to work out where Lazio's glass ceiling is. They've lost to each of the three strong teams they've played—Juventus, Napoli and Roma—in Serie A and beaten the rest. They're not going to trouble our top 10 if they can't find a way to win against the big guns.
16. Lyon (-1)
A win and a draw in Ligue 1 this week is no poor haul for Lyon, but everything has to be judged in context. So many of the teams in this region of the rankings won twice last week—including two who jump above them—so a drop of one is necessitated.
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15. Arsenal (+1)
By no means are Arsenal wholly convincing people with their performances, but their results are impossible to argue with. They've won seven in a row in a streak that spans three competitions. It's the exact opposite of how things went late in Arsene Wenger's reign.
14. Inter Milan (+3)
Inter are rolling now. Four straight wins has placed them in a much healthier position in Serie A, while a match against PSV Eindhoven this week in the Champions League hands them a chance to take a really commanding position in Group B.
13. Sevilla (New!)
It looks like Sevilla have really found their groove. They play great football under Pablo Machin and are now scoring the goals their play deserves. To take Real Madrid apart as ruthlessly as they did last week in La Liga is something most of Europe's elite would struggle to do. They zoom straight in at No. 13.
12. Tottenham Hotspur (+1)
Spurs found it relatively easy going against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, and it will please Mauricio Pochettino that Harry Kane looked in strong form. That said, there's no guarantee he will look the same in midweek: He's tended to sway from "fine fettle" to "looks exhausted" at random so far this term.
11. Napoli (-1)
Napoli struggled with the task of holding Juventus in check in Serie A on Saturday. Things weren't helped by Mario Rui's red card, but they were under the cosh before then anyway.
Given they beat Parma convincingly in the league in midweek, it feels harsh to drop them down, but the team rising into 10th and stealing their spot simply must be rewarded for their work so far.
10. Borussia Dortmund (+1)
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Borussia Dortmund fans will reminisce over the week commencing September 24, 2018, in the Bundesliga for a long time to come.
First, BVB beat Nurnberg 7-0 thanks to a ruthless second-half display, then they came from 2-0 down to beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2. It continues their unbeaten season to date.
There's a lot to be excited about here: Not only is Jadon Sancho stepping off the bench and making a positive impact regularly, but Jacob Bruun Larsen is enjoying his own breakout season and Paco Alcacer is getting closer to a starting role.
9. Atletico Madrid (Stay)
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Atletico Madrid are beginning to wake up. They're perhaps not at the title-contending level some projected for them ahead of the season, but they are inching their way back to an appropriate level.
A dip in form for both Barcelona and Real Madrid has allowed Los Colchoneros to draw closer to the top, and they now sit fourth in La Liga, just two points off the summit.
That's thanks in part to the point they gained at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday—a game they had to fight tooth and nail to stay in, relying on a remarkable performance at the heart of defence from Jose Maria Gimenez.
8. Real Madrid (-3)
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It was something of a horror week for Real Madrid, who are left with questions to answer and solutions to find.
Wednesday saw them travel to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan—a place they truly despise going—and lose 3-0 to Sevilla, with Sergio Ramos and Marcelo putting in terrible performances that led to a defensive collapse.
They recovered enough to hold Atletico Madrid 0-0 in the derby on Saturday, probably shading the contest (though still forcing Thibaut Courtois to produce two magnificent stops), and while that alleviates the pressure a little, Julen Lopetegui will spend the next week under a glaring spotlight.
7. Paris Saint-Germain (Stay)
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There's a defining week on the horizon: Paris Saint-Germain are about to play Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, then Lyon in Ligue 1 four days after.
The first fixture gives Thomas Tuchel the chance to kickstart the French champions' European campaign after losing the opener, while the second gives him the chance to reassert the capital club's authority at home.
6. Bayern Munich (-2)
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Just last week, this column expressed the sentiment that Bayern Munich feel like they're in a league of their own in Germany. The rest of the Bundesliga must have read it, as they've clearly decided to take action.
In midweek, Augsburg tripped up their Bavarian neighbours, holding them to a 1-1 draw, then on Friday, Hertha Berlin went a step further, beating them 2-0.
It was a sequence of results that allowed Borussia Dortmund—who clocked up two wins—to leapfrog them at the top of the table.
How long it lasts is impossible to call—you'd have to assume Bayern kick back into gear and recover—but for now, let's enjoy competition at the top that you don't often get to see in Germany.
5. Chelsea (+3)
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Forget the town, Eden Hazard is the talk of the world right now. His consistently excellent performances have set off a debate regarding just how good he is—and, perhaps, whether he's troubling Lionel Messi and Co. in that best-in-the-world bracket.
His two showings against Liverpool last week in the Carabao Cup and Premier League, respectively, oozed quality—his goal in the first was one of his best ever, the one in the second was very good, too. He was the Blues' biggest factor in a pair of excellent results.
These games against the Premier League's best are crucial for Chelsea, as they're the only grounds upon which they can prove their quality. That's what happens when you miss out on the Champions League.
4. Barcelona (-2)
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Barcelona have failed to win any of their last three La Liga games. That's not a statement you've been able to produce with any accuracy for quite a while.
Saturday's draw with Athletic Bilbao is stomachable in isolation—the Basque outfit are a strong side—but added on to a chain of results that reads Barcelona 2-2 Girona and Leganes 2-1 Barcelona, it's enough to cause a series of grumbles.
It's worth noting that Barca are still top of La Liga and still boast the best goal difference in the division (and have been unfortunate enough to hit the woodwork eight times already), but that's largely because Real Madrid had just as bad a week. It's rare that this sort of run goes unpunished; they're lucky.
3. Manchester City (+3)
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Manchester City have won their last three games by an aggregate score of 10-0. Cardiff City, Oxford United and Brighton & Hove Albion have all been slain with consummate ease, with the latest win lifting them to the top of the Premier League.
In it, Sergio Aguero went full Lionel Messi, waltzing through a desperate defence en route to turning in Leroy Sane's simple layoff. That assist was Sane's 17th since the beginning of last season—a league-high.
Next up is the chance to salvage a terrible start to their Champions League campaign with a trip to Hoffenheim. They're certainly in the right sort of form to manage it.
2. Liverpool (-1)
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Liverpool lost their first game of the season last week, dropping out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Chelsea.
That loss sees them relinquish first place in the rankings, but it's important not to punish them too harshly, as the nature of the XIs sent out that night tells its own story. You don't judge Liverpool when Simon Mignolet, Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne are on the pitch.
Days later, the two sides met again in the Premier League and played out the real game, a thrilling spectacle that ended 1-1. Both sides played fast, attacking football, and both sides proved their quality against a good opponent.
Daniel Sturridge's late cracker rescued a deserved point for the Reds.
1. Juventus (+2)
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The only perfect team left in all of Europe's top five leagues is Juventus. They've played eight and won eight, and although they haven't looked completely convincing in doing so, that record has to be respected.
All around them, fellow top clubs have dropped points to distinctly lesser sides of late. Juve may have wobbled slightly in their games against the likes of Sassuolo and Parma, but they got the job done. It's enough to lift them into first in the power rankings this week.
What makes the decision easier is their 3-1 win over Napoli in Serie A this weekend. They could and should have scored more, looked absolutely lethal in attack, and to tear such a strong side apart counts as an early statement. This team is coming together more quickly than expected.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
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