A weekend that should have been defined by fantastic, top-level football played between great rivals across the continent was instead defined by something far more sobering: the tragic death of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
He was one of five people aboard a helicopter leaving the King Power Stadium following Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Ham United. The helicopter lost control shortly after takeoff and crashed just outside the stadium, with all five on board dying.
While it's hard to focus on it at such a time, these European Club Rankings will continue to track and rank the continent's top teams in order of form and performance at this stage of the season.
You can read the last set of rankings here.
20-16
20. Real Madrid (-4)
A 5-1 defeat in a Clasico won't be forgotten in a hurry—not by Barcelona fans, but not by Real Madrid fans either. They're ninth in La Liga, have already lost six games this season and have won just once in six league attempts.
19. Ajax (New!)
Ajax may be five points adrift of PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, but they've fared significantly better in European competition (seven points from three games), and that form leads them to a spot in these rankings.
18. Lyon (Stay)
Hoffenheim 3-3 Lyon was the thriller you probably missed. Les Gones don't participate in games that are boring or fail to capture the imagination.
Even their 2-1 win against Angers on Saturday was dramatic, as a destructive Memphis Depay cameo off the bench was required to rescue three points.
17. Roma (New!)
Roma dropped out of the rankings last week due to a patch of poor form, but they've kicked back into gear over the last seven days. A commanding 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow was followed by a gritty showing against Napoli, and they were only robbed of a full haul by a last-minute equaliser from Dries Mertens.
16. Tottenham Hotspur (-1)
Tottenham's UEFA Champions League campaign is virtually in tatters. A failure to beat PSV Eindhoven puts them in a position—one point from three games—few teams recover from.
They take on Manchester City at Wembley on Monday evening.
15-11
15. Lazio (+2)
Group-stage UEFA Europa League assignments don't get much tougher than Marseille away. That's what Lazio faced last Thursday, and they came out of it with an impressive 3-1 win.
They'll get the chance to add another big name to their victim pile on Monday evening as they take on Inter Milan.
14. Manchester United (Stay)
Jose Mourinho's men were meek against Juventus, surrendering possession, territory and any form of authority over the game. Losing to such a side is no issue, but the manner in which they did is.
Sunday's performance against Everton was more like it. The 2-1 win was a little squeaky in the end, but it featured more than enough attacking quality to deserve three points.
13. Sevilla (Stay)
Sevilla crushed Akhisarspor 6-0 in the Europa League on Thursday, then beat Huesca 2-1 to continue their excellent La Liga campaign. They're serious entertainers under manager Pablo Machin.
12. Inter Milan (-3)
Any time Lionel Messi is injured represents a golden chance to beat Barcelona, but Inter Milan failed miserably in their attempt to do so last week. The 2-0 reverse scoreline looked quite kind in truth.
Monday evening gives them the chance to get back on track against Lazio.
11. Bayern Munich (+1)
The pressure on Niko Kovac is beginning to alleviate. Three wins in a row, putting Bayern back on track both domestically and in Europe, has been the perfect antidote to a rough few weeks preceding the international break.
10. Atletico Madrid (Stay)
Atletico were torn apart on the counter-attack by Borussia Dortmund en route to a 4-0 defeat in midweek.
Koke told Movistar+ (h/t Marca) it was a "fluke result," brushing it off a little by saying their opponents were more effective. In truth, it's a result of a decline in defensive play that—for once—Jan Oblak couldn't paper over.
They're fortunate that doesn't drop them out of the top 10, but a few things have worked in their favour: First, they bounced back with a 2-0 win against Real Sociedad on Saturday, and second, Inter Milan also lost in midweek and haven't played in the league yet.
9. Arsenal (+2)
So Arsenal finally fail to win a game, and now they move into the top 10? How does that work?
Throughout that 11-game win streak, which ended on Sunday as the Gunners drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace, they were playing catch up on the others in terms of their overall record this season. Losing their first two games hurt them; 70 per cent of our top 10 had lost fewer...until this week.
Despite sharing the spoils with Palace they deserve a top-10 spot now. Inter and Atletico Madrid's insipid displays in the Champions League last week created a pathway upward.
8. Napoli (Stay)
Napoli's performance against Paris Saint-Germain last week was brilliant; that it didn't result in a three-point haul felt harsh.
Lorenzo Insigne's opening strike was a thing of beauty, converting a Jose Callejon pass with the sort of deft touch a man built on raw speed isn't often capable of. They took confidence from that and exerted their will at the Parc des Princes in a way few do.
They were then, in turn, quite fortunate to steal a point against Roma at the death. Swings and roundabouts, you might say.
7. Paris Saint-Germain (Stay)
Record equalled.
Paris Saint-Germain made it 11 league wins a row by beating Marseille 2-0 on Sunday in "Le Classique"—arguably the biggest domestic game in the French football calendar. One more and they'll surpass Tottenham Hotspur's record 1960.
Kylian Mbappe and Julian Draxler stepped off the bench to score the goals, and in the process the former became the first player in Europe's top five leagues to hit double figures for the campaign.
6. Liverpool (Stay)
Liverpool enjoyed a goal-filled week. The fixture list relented a little and presented them two chances to fire four past significantly weaker opponents.
Mohamed Salah re-found his groove, netting against both Red Star Belgrade and Cardiff City, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho impressed too, while Sadio Mane scored two brilliant goals against the Bluebirds.
With 10 played in the Premier League, the Reds have 26 points—a full 10 more than they did last season. Early signs suggest excitement over an actual title race was not misplaced.
5. Chelsea (Stay)
Chelsea's commanding 4-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday was impressive at face value, but when you consider the fact they managed it without the injured Eden Hazard, it becomes even more so.
Ross Barkley took centre stage on the day, netting once and assisting twice in a man of the match display. It was arguably just as pleasing an individual display as Ruben Loftus-Cheek's was three days before, when he scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 Europa League victory over BATE Borisov.
4. Borussia Dortmund (-1)
Hertha Berlin ended Borussia Dortmund's seven-game win streak on Saturday, stealing a point off them thanks to a 91st-minute Salomon Kalou goal.
It's a strike that drops Die Schwarzgelben down a spot in our rankings despite that 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League being so fresh in the memory.
The explanation for that is simple: BVB are unfortunate. They've done little wrong but stakes are high at the top, and a certain Catalonian club pulled out the sort of result that trumps all others, forcing a dramatic change.
3. Manchester City (-1)
Manchester City wiped the floor with Shakhtar Donetsk last week, producing a brand of swashbucklin play that blew the Ukrainian outfit away in midfield and defence.
It was a match that set them up nicely for their tussle with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening, not only because they're in fantastic form, but because Kevin De Bruyne—their best player last season—made his first start since August and looks to be finding his feet again.
They only move down because of Barcelona's incredible result.
2. Barcelona (+2)
Losing Lionel Messi to injury ahead of such an important week was the last thing Barcelona needed, but the club have coped remarkably well in his absence.
The Argentinian watched on as his colleagues dispensed with a disappointing Inter Milan side last Tuesday, ensuring their record in the Champions League remained perfect. They then sunk ancient rivals Real Madrid 5-1 in El Clasico.
That latter performance was incredibly impressive, and we can only dread to think what the scoreline might have looked like had Messi been fit and able to take part.
When you win such a game by such a scoreline, the only way in these rankings is up.
1. Juventus (Stay)
Juventus' display against Manchester United at Old Trafford last week didn't fit any of the usual cliches—professional, measured, a tactical masterclass. Instead, it was simply punishing.
Sixty per cent possession, twice the number of shots the host managed, Paulo Dybala on the scoresheet, Rodrigo Bentancur running the game and the age-old defensive axis holding firm. It was a statement performance.
A Cristiano Ronaldo brace then led The Old Lady past Genoa on Saturday, making it nine wins from 10 in Serie A.
Source: BleacherReport
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