Welcome to the Sports4G Power Rankings!
Once again, this list ranks the top ten clubs at the present time, based on current form, not past pedigree/success. Reputation will have no effect on the final rankings.
The last edition of our rankings saw Borussia Dortmund lead the way, having achieved first place. Will they repeat the feat? Which Serie A team makes a surprise inclusion in the top 10?
Feel free to comment below on your thoughts on rankings, exclusion and inclusions.
Read on to find out who made the cut!
10. Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen took points off Munich recently
Recent form: WWWDW
Equal on points with Dortmund, Schalke are the only team to topple Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Since then, Leverkusen has claimed the scalps of Wolfsburg, Mainz and Hannover, as well as becoming one of only two clubs – alongside Freiburg – to take points from Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, a 1-1 home draw.
Sidney Sam has been the form player of the Bundesliga, with 12 direct goal involvements (goals or assists) in all competitions, as well as producing 3.3 key opportunities a game behind only Marco Reus.
Leverkusen enjoyed a solid 2-0 victory in their midweek Bundesliga match against Fortuna Dusseldorf, despite the absence of Sam, Kießling, Son, Bender, Leno and a host of other key players due to international duty.
9. Napoli
Napoli off an impressive start under Benitez
Recent form: WDWLW
The side from Naples has finally slipped up, falling 2-0 to a rejuvenated Arsenal in their midweek Champions League clash in London.
Nevertheless, Napoli’s recent form is too good to ignore, a key highlight having been their victory over AC Milan - their first win over the Rossoneri in San Siro since Maradona’s Napoli in 1986.
Whilst a 1-1 Sassuolo draw sparks slight uncertainty over their current form, however, their blistering start to the season means they’re yet to drop from the GMS power rankings.
Fears of their form were swiftly extinguished last week with a 4-0 display of superiority over Livorno.
The Partenopei will see Gonzalo Higuain return to action against Roma next week, having missed on the Arsenal and Livorno games.
8. Monaco
Falcao key to Monaco's hopes
Recent form: WDWDW
Ranieri’s big-spenders are yet to put a foot wrong, failing to record a single defeat all season.
A draw against 10-man Reims stands to be their only significant slip-up thus far. Whilst they remain first in Ligue 1, their lack of European football this season works against their rankings.
However, an away draw with Paris Saint Germain highlights their credentials. New signings Joao Moutinho and Falcao have combined for eight goals and three assists.
Last week saw Monaco claim yet another big-name scalp, downing Saint Etienne with a last-gasp Lucas Ocampos winner.
The upcoming month will define Monaco’s season as they face Lyon and Lille over the next five weeks.
7. Paris Saint Germain
Recent form: WDWWW
The reigning French champions have quietly gone about their business, with Ibrahimovic firing PSG to second place in the league.
Though they lie in second place behind Monaco on goal difference, PSG hold a slim advantage over Monaco by virtue of their striking performances in Europe.
Laurent Blanc’s men have sailed through comfortably in both of their group stage games, recording 4-1 and 3-0 wins over Olympiakos and Benfica respectively.
Les Parisiens have avoided defeat in every competitive game since April, a remarkable feat, including last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Marseille despite being reduced to 10 men.
Record signing Edinson Cavani is yet to hit the form that saw him sought after by the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City despite netting five goals in all competitions.
The lethal Uruguayan will be required to be at his best over the next few weeks, with clashes against Saint Etienne and Anderlecht.
6. Borussia Dortmund
Recent form: DWWWL
Dortmund have perhaps been a victim of their own success, falling to sixth place this week.
The Champions League finalists sprinted to an ostensibly unassailable lead, winning their first five Bundesliga games including a Super Cup victory over Bayern.
A loss and draw to Napoli and Nurnberg signified a minor blip amongst a remarkable succession of results, before scoring eight goals over two games against Marseille and Freiburg.
Their recent 2-0 defeat to Gladbach, however, means Dortmund are to settle for sixth place this week.
Bayern-bound Robert Lewandowski lies atop the Bundesliga scoring charts, netting eight times in all competitions.
5. Barcelona
Recent form: WWWWW
Barça has raced to its customary exhilarating start to La Liga, netting 20 goals in only six league games.
However, their goal difference slightly exaggerates the extent of their superiority, with 7-0 and 4-0 demolitions over Levante and Rayo Vallecano flattering their goal difference.
Lionel Messi has hit the ground running, firing in eight goals in only six appearances, a vein of form that will surely see him retain his Ballon d’Or title for the fifth time.
Barcelona last took to the pitch against Valladolid when Neymar replaced the injured Messi, working in tandem with Alexis Sanchez to dismantle their opponents by three goals. Who said Messi was irreplaceable?
The La Liga leaders and reigning champions will settle for fifth place this week, after scraping past 10-man Celtic in their UEFA Champions League clash. Nevertheless, they’re the present leaders of Group H, with a trip to Italy against AC Milan next on their European schedule.
4. Roma
Recent form: WWWWW
Who saw this coming?
In a spell of managerial disasters in which Roma signed and fired five coaches in a span of three years, they’ve finally struck gold with former Lille coach, Rudi Garcia.
The sale of Erik Lamela provided Roma with the funds to completely revamp their squad, a decision that sees them leading Juventus, Napoli and the Milan clubs in Serie A.
Totti and co. flexed their muscle two weeks ago in a 5-0 ravaging of hapless Bologna. A 2-0 victory in the Derby della Capitale (Lazio-Roma) only serves to confirm their stunning season.
In a brutal exploitation of their complete supremacy, 10-man Roma dismissed Inter Milan at Milan in ruthless fashion, sending three goals into the back of the net.
Francesco Totti has turned back the sands of time, defying his age by recording three goals and six assists in six games. His integral role in Roma this season positions him well for an Italy recall for the World Cup.
Read this: seven games; seven wins; 20 goals scored; one goal conceded; almost three goals a game.
Arsenal and Fiorentina outcasts Gervinho and Ljajic have proved to be invaluable additions to the club the way for the Italian capital, combining for six goals.
3. Arsenal
Recent form: WWWWD
The Gunners are well on their way to breaking an eight-year trophy drought, quickly establishing themselves as perennial Premier League and Champions League contenders in the coming years.
Mathieu Flamini has brought a defensive reassurance unseen in Arsenal’s midfield since the days of… well… Mathieu Flamini.
Olivier Giroud has rediscovered his Montpellier form, in which he produced a 21-goal haul to reward his club with their first ever league title. Aaron Ramsey has silenced his many critics, rewarding his manager’s faith and securing the September Player of the Month award.
Mesut Özil’s transfer has not only added a genuinely world-class player in the squad, not only has it filled a gaping hole left by Cesc Fabregas, but his arrival has spurred confidence aplenty in his teammates who’ve all in turn lifted their performance levels considerably.
And he hasn’t even played with Santi Cazorla yet.
Arsenal’s marquee transfer has coincided with a period of time in which Arsenal won 10 games in a row, before dropping points in a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich last week.
However, the minor error came after a 2-0 victory in which Napoli were dispatched handily. Arsenal did not beat the Champions League dark horses, so much as comprehensively and convincingly shut them down, keeping their formidable opponents to only one tame shot on target by Dries Mertens.
It is pertinent that the team does not become complacent and rest on their laurels, as they face a crucial two months in which they play Dortmund, then Chelsea, Liverpool, Dortmund again, Manchester United, Southampton (4th in BPL) and Marseille insuccession.
2. Bayern Munich
Recent form: WWWWD
It is frightening to think that Bayern are without a host of key players, instead having to utilise a full back in midfield.
Yet regardless of managerial change and injuries and a makeshift midfielder, Bayern have arguably gotten even better. It took Pep Guardiola’s men almost no time at all to scratch Dortmund’s early league lead and assert themselves as the rightful premier team of Germany.
While they may have shared the spoils with Leverkusen last week, it is important to note that they completely and utterly decimated their opponents in every aspect except the final score.
They held an astonishing 78% of possession – that means four-fifths of the match involved a Bayern player with the ball – while more than quintupling Leverkusen’s shot count (27:5). That is not a mere moral victory. That is physical assault.
Die Roten have been equally as dominant on the European stage, clinically dispatching Manchester City in England with consummate ease, despite again playing Lahm in defensive midfield, with Rafinha deployed in Lahm’s right back position.
That City completed only four dribbles throughout the whole game (against Bayern’s 15) is a testament to the high pressing game instigated by Heynckes and developed by Guardiola.
Franck Ribery has been in Ballon d’Or contending form, with seven direct goal involvements in all competitions, as well as his three-assist dismantling of Australia’s defence on international duty.
The impending return of Javi Martinez will see Bayern final field their ideal starting line-up. And to think, the expected signing of Lewandowski is about to make Bayern even stronger.
1. Atletico Madrid
Recent form: WWWWW
Atletico just keep chugging along. Eight games, eight wins.
The new premier team in Madrid, Atletico have now defeated Real Madrid (now ‘the other Madrid’) twice in 2013.
Simeone’s men have been unfaultable this season, residing on top of La Liga by goal difference. Los Rojiblancos must be wondering, however, what exactly they have to do to pull away to a comfortable lead, with Barcelona virtually breathing down their neck.
Diego Costa has shrouded himself in a cloud of controversy, with question marks over his international allegiances. Nevertheless, he has fired in 10 goals for the club, including the crucial winner against Real Madrid.
The Group H leaders defeated both Zenit and Porto (the latter in Portugal) with five goals over the two games, no easy feat.
Last week saw Atletico breeze past Celta Vigo by scoring two goals courtesy of Diego Costa, who failed to finish his hat trick via a missed penalty.
Short of Bayern, it is hard to see anyone defeating the defensively parsimonious Atletico Madrid in this form, this week’s number one European team
Barka De sallah to All Muslim Viewers........... From Team Sports4G
Barka De sallah to All Muslim Viewers........... From Team Sports4G
No comments:
Post a Comment