European Power Rankings: Liverpool plummet after Champions League thrashing

The Champions League is back, which means there is bigger potential for notable moves in Robin Bairner’s European Power Rankings.

Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are among the clubs that have impressed this week, while disappointing results hit Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, in particular. Here are how the events of the last seven days have affected the rankings.

10. Chelsea 

Previously: 9th (down one)

It’s been quite a fortnight for Chelsea. After splashing out on Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as well as securing a loan for Denis Zapata, the Blues made quite a splash in the transfer market. But on the field things have not gone according to plan. The Blues struggled past West Ham in the league, while a 1-0 Champions League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb cost Thomas Tuchel his job after spending almost £300 million on summer signings. Uncertainty clouds the club at present.

9. Napoli

Previously: N/A (new entry)

Undefeated in Serie A so far this season, Napoli leap into the Top 10 of the Power Rankings largely thanks to their impressive midweek performance against Liverpool. The Reds were blown away 4-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and it might have been a far more severe loss but for a saved penalty and a goal-line clearance from Virgil van Dijk. Napoli started well last season before fading. Now their challenge is to keep this standard up.

8. Tottenham

Previously: 8th (no change)

Spurs remain eighth for the third successive week as they continue to fulfil expectations without going over and above. Since the last Power Rankings they have secured home wins over Fulham and Marseille, neither of which was achieved with much panache. Richarlison scoring two fine midweek goes does hint that better could be ahead, though.

7. Arsenal

Previously: 5th (down two)

The Gunners’ undefeated Premier League start ended last Sunday, courtesy of a 3-1 away defeat by Manchester United. It was an unflattering result for Arsenal, who previously had a perfect record. The cutting edge of elite European football is such that they have fallen two spots, as their rivals all impressed. Mikel Arteta’s side do continue to lead the way in the Premier League, however.

6. Liverpool

Previously: 3rd (down three)

Liverpool have had a sticky start to the season, but no one quite saw their 4-1 away defeat by Napoli coming. It was not just the result that hurt, but the nature of it. Jurgen Klopp’s side looked miles off the pace and should have lost by a heavier margin. Three wins from eight competitive matches this season is not the type of start expected of them.

Jurgen Klopp: suffered an up-and-down start with Liverpool this campaign

5. Barcelona

Previously: 7th (up two)

Barcelona break into the top five, courtesy of their 3-0 away win against Sevilla last weekend in their first major test of the season so far. This was followed up by a 5-1 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen. Robert Lewandowski is already looking just as prolific at Barca as he was with Bayern – and that makes them a threat against anyone.

4. PSG

Previously: 6th (up two)

There is a sense that PSG missed out on the opportunity of a statement victory in midweek as they beat Juventus 2-1 at Parc des Princes, but they were still remarkably comfortable on the whole against a dangerous opponent. Kylian Mbappe is closing in on the peak of his powers, having scored two fine midweek goals. An easier week looms, with Brest at home followed by a trip to Maccabi Haifa. 

3. Bayern Munich

Previously: 4th (up one)

Bayern may be third in the Bundesliga after successive draws, but it’s still been a good week for Julian Nagelsmann’s club. An away draw against Union Berlin is nothing to be sniffed at these days, while they went to the San Siro and secured a 2-0 victory over Inter that gives them a strong chance of progressing from the Champions League’s ‘Group of Death’ -  which also includes Barcelona and Plzen.

2. Manchester City

Previously: 2nd (no change)

Manchester City continue on the coattails of Real Madrid at the top of the Power Rankings, after failing to beat Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend. It would have been hard to find an argument not to make them top had they defeated Steven Gerrard’s team. After that disappointing 1-1 draw, they went to Sevilla in the Champions League and scored four times, with Erling Haaland bagging two. There is still just a touch of inconsistency in Pep Guardiola’s side that must be ironed out.

1. Real Madrid

Previously: 1st (no change)

Real Madrid are unquestionably the team to beat in Europe at the moment. They are the only club in the top five leagues to have recorded a perfect start to the season domestically, although they have only played four matches so far.

Los Blancos overcame Real Betis last weekend, who boasted a 100% record of their own before that game. They visited Celtic in midweek and secured a hard-fought but slightly flattering 3-0 win. Nevertheless, Real’s mental strength and ability to produce key moments at clutch times remains unparalleled.

European Power Rankings will be updated on a weekly basis. Writer Robin Bairner will assess each team’s position based on a mixture of their most recent performances and dominance in their respective division and the Champions League.