Every week, the staff at 32 Flags will each rank their top 15 European teams of the week. Each staffers list is compiled and tabulated and results in a final top 10 that make up our Power Rankings.
#1) Barcelona – Spain
Phil: 1st, Marc: 1st, Andy: 1st, Jeff: 1st
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 2nd
League Position: 1st in La Liga
Last week results: Defeated APOEL 1-0 in Champions League, Defeated Levante 5-0 in La Liga
After Chelsea received two draws, Barcelona’s two wins put them top of the Power Rankings. It also helps that they still haven’t allowed a goal in four La Liga games. All you do is win, and you get put in the top spot.
#2) Chelsea – England
Phil: 2nd, Marc: 2nd, Andy: 2nd, Jeff: 2nd
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 1st
League Position: 1st in EPL
Last week results: Drew Schalke 1-1 in Champions League, Drew Manchester City 1-1 in EPL
Chelsea struggled last week but almost every team would love to have Chelsea’s struggles. They’re still top of the EPL table and are still three points ahead of the next placed team. If this is struggling, teams may as well pack it in and focus on next season.
#3) Juventus – Italy
Phil: 3rd, Marc: 6th, Andy: 4th, Jeff: 4th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 5th
League Position: 2nd in Serie A
Last week results: Defeated Malmo 2-0 in Champions League, Defeated AC Milan 1-0 in Serie A
Juventus and Roma are stuck on each other like glue. Both haven’t lost, both haven’t given up any goals in Serie A and both are in the top two in the table. Juventus is one goal behind Roma but they had the tougher opponent in AC Milan so they’re higher on the list.
#4) Manchester City – England
Phil: 4th, Marc: 5th, Andy: 3rd, Jeff: 5th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 3rd
League Position: 6th in EPL
Last week results: Lost to Bayern Munich 1-0 in Champions League, Drew to Chelsea 1-1 in EPL
Manchester City had a rough week but to be fair, they did play two of the top ten in the Power Rankings. While neither of the two were wins, they were fortunate to get a point thanks to Frank Lampard and an unfortunate loss late against Bayern Munich.
#5) Real Madrid – Spain
Phil: 5th, Marc: 3rd, Andy: 7th, Jeff: 3rd
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 7th
League Position: 4th in La Liga
Last week results: Defeated Basel 5-1 in Champions League, Defeated Deportivo La Coruna 8-2 in La Liga
After a couple shaky weeks, I think it’s safe to say Real Madrid is back. They didn’t play the toughest opponents but when you outscore your two opponents 13-3, you’re clearly doing something right.
#6) Bayern Munich – Germany
Phil: 8th, Marc: 4th, Andy: 5th, Jeff: 8rd
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 6th
League Position: 1st in Bundesliga
Last week results: Defeated Manchester City 1-0 in Champions League, Drew Hamburger 0-0 in Bundesliga
Bayern is another team who seems to be getting it back together. They just now got the lead back by beating Paderborn and are likely to advance to the knockout stage in Champions League.
#7) Roma – Italy
Phil: 6th, Marc: 7th, Andy: 6th, Jeff: 6th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 9th
League Position: 1st in Serie A
Last week results: Defeated CSKA Moscow 5-1 in Champions League, Defeated Cagliari 2-0 in Serie A
Roma have the lead in Serie A and are looking quite dangerous that they want to keep it. In addition, they did what they could to get a leg up against Bayern Munich and Manchester City in Champions League and by beating Moscow by four goals, they hope to use the high goal differential to kick out one of the favorites.
#8) Atletico Madrid – Spain
Phil: 7th, Marc: 15th, Andy: 9th, Jeff: 7th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 6th
League Position: 6th in La Liga
Last week results: Lost to Olympiacos 3-2 in Champions League, Drew Celta Vigo 2-2 in La Liga
Atletico Madrid seem to be on the right track but I’m a little hesitant. They still seem like a favorite in La Liga but they haven’t really showed it. In addition to that, they had a lackluster loss against Olympiacos and this is a team who needs a win to turn this funk around.
#9) Zenit – Russia
Phil: 9th, Marc: 8th, Andy: 12th, Jeff: 9th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: 10th
League Position: 1st in Russian Premier League
Last week results: Defeated Benfica 2-0 in Champions League, Defeated FK Rostov 5-0 in Russian Premier League
Zenit continues their tear through the Russian Premier League, remaining undefeated. And they won their first Champions League game of the season so they can’t do any better than what they’re currently doing.
#10) Borussia Dortmund – Germany
Phil: 10th, Marc: 11th, Andy: 8th, Jeff: 10th
Last Week Power Ranking Position: N/A
League Position: 11th in Bundesliga
Last week results: Defeated Arsenal 2-0 in Champions League, Lost to Mainz 2-0 in Bundesliga
The only reason why Borussia Dortmund is even on this list is because they beat Arsenal and are undefeated in Champions League. After that, they have disappointed throughout the season. Don’t get used to seeing Dortmund on this list because they could very well be back off next week.
