European Power Rankings: Arsenal enter the top three as Real Madrid fall

The 2022 World Cup is little over a week away, yet European football continues to rage on right up to the beginning of the competition.

The top flights in Italy, Germany and Spain are even squeezing in some midweek action this week, which seems crazy given the intense schedule for players up to this point this season. Nevertheless, the campaign is about to have the brakes put on, so here’s the penultimate edition of the European Power Rankings pre-World Cup. 

10. Tottenham 

Previously: 10th (no change)

Tottenham cling to 10th place in the European Power Rankings despite coming under pressure from in-form Newcastle. Antonio Conte’s side are winning games they are supposed to, but they are yet to record a statement win this season. Indeed, they struggled through in the Champions League group stages - they were fortunate to beat Marseille away from home - and have lost three of their last four games in the Premier League. Failure to beat Leeds at home on Saturday could see them fall out of this list.

9. Barcelona

Previously: 8th (down one)

Barcelona may have endured a difficult European campaign to date, but they will go into the World Cup break top of LaLiga. They opened up a five-point gap over Real Madrid on Tuesday thanks to a 2-1 win away against sixth-placed Osasuna. Xavi’s side deserve great credit for the result as they were 1-0 down when Robert Lewandowski was sent off. Second-half goals from Pedri and Raphinha helped dig out the win. Barcelona would have banked on a good run in the Europa League, so to be drawn against Manchester United would have been a significant blow.

8. PSG

Previously: 5th (down three)

PSG haven't lost yet this season, but there is still a feeling of disappointment around the club over recent performances. Christophe Galtier’s side steamrollered opponents early in the campaign, but they are not robotic in the manner that they are getting wins. They struggled to beat Lorient on Sunday - Danilo Pereira headed in the winner after the home side shook the bar with a chance that would have put them in front - but PSG are still well in control of Ligue 1. Their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich will be interesting!

Neymar: has been on red-hot form for PSG all season

7. Benfica

Previously: 9th (up two)

Everything is going perfectly for Benfica at the moment. After qualifying first from their Champions League group, they landed a plum Round of 16 tie against Club Brugge, which gives them an ideal opportunity to move onto the quarter-finals. On top of that positive, Benfica have scored an incredible 20 goals in their last four matches, which includes netting five in a demolition job of Estoril on Sunday. Roger Schmidt's team is flying right now.

6. Liverpool

Previously: 7th (up one)

Failure to win their Champions League group could come back to bite Liverpool, who have been handed a tie against Real Madrid in the last-16. Jurgen Klopp’s side showed signs of stirring into life thanks to a victory over Napoli, which was followed up by a 2-1 win over Tottenham. Nevertheless, they will have to be at their stellar best after World Cup 2022 if they are to somehow make this season a success.

Liverpool: Mo Salah helped himself to two goals against Spurs on Sunday

5. Napoli

Previously: 6th (up one)

Inactive last weekend, Napoli continue to impress in Serie A thanks to victories over Atalanta and Empoli in a matter of four days. It’s perhaps no surprise that Luciano Spalletti’s side are not quite the explosively brilliant team that they were early in the season. Fatigue appears to be taking a toll, while their latest two wins have been achieved despite an injury to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has arguably been the breakout star of European football this season. They will need him back soon.

4. Real Madrid 

Previously: 2nd (down two)

Are Real Madrid starting to run out a steam a little before the World Cup begins? It certainly appears that way as they will be second in LaLiga by the time World Cup 2022 starts after opening the door for Barcelona to overtake them thanks to a couple of disappointing domestic results. Real were first held 1-1 at home by Girona, before being stunned 3-2 by Rayo Vallecano in a derby match last weekend. Paired with Liverpool in the Champions League, this has been a tough few days for Los Blancos.

3. Arsenal

Previously: 4th (up one)

There is no question that Arsenal are Premier League title contenders. Now 13 matches into the season, they have dropped only five points and post the joint-best defensive record in the entire league. The Gunners showed their mettle on Sunday to overcome rivals Chelsea, who themselves are on such a slide they are out of the top 10 of the Power Rankings altogether. Mikel Arteta's guys dominated that particular match and, even with Gabriel Jesus mute, they are finding ways to win games.

Gabriel Jesus: in a scoring drought for Arsenal at the moment

2. Bayern Munich

Previously: 3rd (up one)

Bayern were given a scare by relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin at the weekend as they allowed a 3-0 advantage become 3-2 before the break. Their class allowed them to ultimately hold out for victory. They stepped up a gear in midweek as they hammered Werder Bremen 6-1 at home, in which young guns Jamal Musiala and Mathys Tel were both on target. Serge Gnabry grabbed the plaudits with a hat-trick, though. They were handed a nightmare Champions League draw against PSG, but progression would see them challenge for top spot in this list.

1. Manchester City

Previously: 1st (no change)

Even if Manchester City have not been at their best in recent matches, they are still finding a way to get wins on an unerring basis. When Joao Cancelo was sent off after 26 minutes against Fulham at the weekend, it seemed that they might be in trouble. However, Erling Haaland (who else?) popped up with a 95th-minute penalty to secure the win. And it was thoroughly deserved - incredibly, even with a man down for more than an hour, they posted more than 70% possession. Man City look very tough to stop right now in England and on a global scale.

European Power Rankings will be updated on a weekly basis. Writer Robin Bairner will assess the best teams in Europe based on a mixture of their most recent performances and dominance in their respective division and the Champions League.