With the first round of European fixtures wrapped up, it is time for a new edition of the power rankings. You can find the previous edition here.
The rankings are based on a combination of league performance (relative to overall strength of the league), European performance (Champions and Europa League), and my own personal bias and subjectivity. If you disagree with anything, feel costless to explain why in the comments below.
We have a newcomer to the top 5 in this edition, as Napoli took down former number one Borussia Dortmund and continued their climb up the rankings. Here we go:
1. FC Barcelona (up 1)
Lionel Messi answered Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick with 3 goals of his own as Barça thrashed Ajax. The blaugrana top La Liga on goal differential.
2. Bayern Munich (up 3)
Rounding into form under Pep Guardiola with back to back clean sheet victories.
3. Real Madrid (up 1)
Won 6 - 1 in a stadium that greets you by saying “Welcome to Hell”. Scary that this team isn’t close to complete.
4. Borussia Dortmund (down 3)
Had everything go wrong in Naples, but still almost salvaged a draw at the end. Dortmund remain in first place in the Bundesliga.
5. Napoli (up 3)
Showed they are for real with a statement win over Dortmund. Perfect after three games in Serie A.
6. Atlético Madrid (up 1)
On level points with Barcelona in La Liga and off to a great start in their Champions League group after a 3 - 1 win at home to Zenit.
7. Juventus (down 4)
Consecutive draws to Inter and FC Copenhagen are a bit worrying for coach Antonio Conte, but the Old Lady has the quality to right the ship.
8. FC Porto (up 2)
Porto have won every game they’ve played this season, starting with the Portuguese Super Cup win on August 11.
9. Shakhtar Donetsk (unchanged)
The Miners left San Sebastián with three points after a strong 2 - 0 victory over Real Sociedad.
10. Arsenal (up 4)
Since losing at home to Aston Villa in the first match of the season, Arsenal have won 6 straight games.
11. Liverpool (up 1)
A draw against Swansea was enough to keep Liverpool atop the Barclays Premier League table.
12. Paris Saint-Germain (up 5)
PSG have rebounded from a rocky start to the season and have won their last 4 games.
13. Manchester United (up 5)
David Moyes cannot be more pleased with his team’s performance in his first Champions League match as the Red Devils manager.
14. AS Monaco (up 2)
Still at the summit of what increasingly appears to be a weak French league. Monaco need a win against fellow big spenders PSG on Sunday to assure they remain in first place.
15. Manchester City (unchanged)
A disappointing draw to Stoke at the weekend, but Manuel Pellegrini showed his Champions League experience as City downed Viktoria Plzen 3 - 0 on Tuesday.
16. Chelsea (down 10)
Largest drop of the rankings after losing to Everton and FC Basel. José Mourinho’s squad has now lost three straight, including the UEFA Super Cup loss on penalties.
17. AS Roma (previously unranked)
Perfect in Serie A and with no European competition to distract them, Roma should challenge Juve and Napoli all season.
18. Fiorentina (unchanged)
Fell off the pace in Serie A but won comfortably in their first Europa League game against Paços de Ferreira.
19. CSKA Moscow (down 6)
Had the misfortune of opening their Champions League campaign to Bayern at the Allianz. Still hold a three point lead atop the Russian Premier League.
20. Schalke 04 (previously unranked)
Jumped into first place in Group E with an impressive 3 - 0 win over Steaua Bucuresti
The rest: Tottenham, Real Sociedad, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, FC Basel, Inter Milan, Lazio, Zenit St Petersburg