Power Rankings: The best teams in Europe – Week 9
Following a week in which:
– Jude Bellingham continued to be the best player in the world.
– Bayer Leverkusen continued to be unbeatable.
– And Aston Villa continued their rise up the Premier League table.
We at 90min are back at it again, ranking the top ten best football teams in Europe.
Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Benfica
The Turkish clubs just about didn’t make the cut this week. Both won their Super Lig games as expected, and Galatasaray followed that up with a dramatic 3-3 draw with Man Utd in the Champions League. If they secure their place in the round of 16 with a win over Copenhagen on matchday six they’ll definitely make the power rankings (we promise).
Benfica were also close to making it this week, but their squandering of a 3-0 lead against Inter meant we couldn’t justify their inclusion.
Juventus, Girona
Two in and two out this time.
Neither Juventus or Girona lost their games this past week, but both’s draws were rather damaging. Juve missed the chance to go top of Serie A against Inter, and Girona dropped off top spot in La Liga thanks to their draw with Athletic Club.
Another week, and another two wins for PSV Eindhoven.
The Dutch giants followed up a thumping 3-0 win over Twente in the Eredivisie with a narrow 3-2 win over Sevilla to put them on the brink of qualification for the Champions League knockout rounds.
There are three teams that are still unbeaten this season, and OGC Nice are one of them.
And they thanks to their astonishingly mean defence, still led by a 40-year-old Dante, which has conceded four goals in Ligue 1 so far this campaign.
Back at the top of the Premier League and, more importantly, back in the 90min power rankings this week, Arsenal have enjoyed a few decent results over the last seven days.
The pick of the bunch was undoubtedly their thumping 6-0 win over Lens in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Since rather surprisingly losing 2-1 to La Palmas at the start of November, Atletico Madrid have looked like a team possessed.
They’re currently in the midst of a four-game win streak in which they’ve plundered 13 goals. Nice one.
Aston Villa have been a mainstay in the power rankings for most of 2023, and judging by their performance on Sunday away to Tottenham it’s easy to see why.
Villa’s 2-1 win was their ninth of the Premier League already, and has seen them rise to within just two points of top spot.
Down one this week in both the power rankings and the Premier League.
Man City slipped to second in the table thanks to their 1-1 draw with title rivals Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, and followed that up with a more-dramatic-than-it-should-have-been win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Finally. After 17 games, Bayern Munich finally didn’t win a Champions League group stage game.
Harry Kane and co. were held to a goalless draw by Copenhagen in midweek, ending their record-breaking winning streak in the group stages. It was fun while it lasted.
Two draws doesn’t scream ‚up one‘ does it?
And yet, in Inter’s case it does.
The two draws Simone Inzaghi’s team secured this week demonstrated a real never-say-die attitude which will hold them in good stead for the rest of the season. That was particularly on show in their 3-3 draw with Benfica, which they earned after going into half-time 3-0 down.
Bayer. Can’t. Be. Stopped.
Xabi Alonso’s side picked up right where they left off after the November international break, casually beating Werder Bremen 3-0. Eassyyyy work,
Cometh the man, cometh the Jude Bellingham.
Back from injury and back breaking records this week, scoring his 14th and 15th goals of the season in wins over Cadiz and Napoli – the former goal making him the top scorer in his first 15 games in Madrid’s history.