Voting: Each writer picks their top 20 teams. We then assigned points to each vote, with 20 points awarded for a first place vote, 19 for second, 18 for third and so on, to create the final list.
Presenting the sixth edition of The National’s European football Power Table, our view of the top 20 European clubs of the moment as voted on this month by Thomas Woods, Steve Luckings, Jon Turner and Jonathan Raymond.
Others receiving votes: FC Basel 5; Shakhtar Donetsk 5; Olympiakos 4; Bayer Leverkusen 4; Besiktas 3; PSV Eindhoven 3; Club Brugge 2
Dropped from Top 20 without votes: CSKA Moscow (19), Fenerbahce (15)
20 – FC Rostov (6 points; last: unranked)
It is not CSKA Moscow, not Zenit St Petersburg, not even Lokomotiv Moscow or Spartak Moscow or Rubin Kazan or Krasnodar atop Russia’s table – it is unlikely Rostov, who have beaten both Spartak and CSKA in the last month, fighting for what would be their first league title in 86 years of existence. The plucky side from their eponymous Sea of Azov-abutting oblast have a well-earned one-point edge on CSKA, three on Lokomotiv and four on Zenit in a tightly-packed Russian Premier League title race.
19 – Lyon (8 points; last: unranked)
Lyon did not have a particularly great start to this season, as Paris Saint-Germain quickly and spectacularly dashed any hope the 2008 champions would again mount a challenge as they did last season. Yet they have clawed back, and an impressive recent string – including a win over of PSG in the league – have the Bruno Genesio-managed club within three points of second-placed AS Monaco.
18 – Sporting CP (9 points; last: T18)
The second-place team in the Portuguese Primeira Liga have followed up a loss to leaders Benfica early last month with three successive wins by a combined 12-4 scoreline, keeping them within two points of their Lisbon rivals and keeping aloft their title hopes.
17 – Manchester United (17 points; last: unranked)
Yes, Manchester United, the same Manchester United who seem to have been left for dead, surged back, wilted once more and then still perked back to life yet again seemingly half a dozen times or more since Christmas. Successive 1-0 wins over Manchester City and Everton have washed out the sour taste of exiting to Liverpool in the Europa League, a feat that for Louis van Gaal’s hot-and-cold side counts at least as a warm turn with only one point now separating them and usurping City’s Champions League place. They may not be able to win the title this year, but they can still send Pep Guardiola to the Europa League, which they would probably be happy to take all things considered.
16 – Villarreal (20 points; last: unranked)
Spain’s consistent if unspectacular fourth team this season, they are all alone in their position, 12 points from third-placed Real Madrid and eight ahead of fifth-placed Celta Vigo. A credible recent draw over Barcelona and getting past Bayer Leverkusen to the Europa League last eight speaks to their quiet quality.
15 – Napoli (23 points; last: 8)
It has all kind of come undone for Napoli in recent weeks. Still second in Serie A, but reeling after a 3-1 loss to Udinese that has them six points off leaders Juventus, and, with Gonzalo Higuain suspended the next four matches for his outburst in that defeat, looking more likely to cede second to AS Roma than to somehow catch Juve.
14 – Manchester City (24 points; last: 20)
Okay, things have been ugly for City of late, but there are still not-insignificant positives here: They remain fourth in the Premier League, on the strength of their most recent 4-0 win over Bournemouth, they have a very real chance to reach the Champions League semi-finals past PSG and, crucially for that tie, Kevin De Bruyne is back and seemingly near his best. Things could still end shockingly well this season for City ahead of Pep Guardiola’s arrival.
13 – AFC Ajax (27 points; last: 16)
They claimed a 2-0 away win over PSV Eindhoven a couple weeks ago to leapfrog their rivals at the top of the effectively two-team Dutch Eredivisie, and with an 18-4 goal difference in their last six matches, do not seem like they will give it back away.
12 – Arsenal (31 points; last: 14)
Arsenal, like Manchester United, Man City and, well, just about every non-Leicester English team this season, have been erratically up and down but have rebounded nicely from their Barcelona-ushered Champions League exit with wins in the Premier League over Everton and Watford by a combined 6-0 scoreline that keep alive their faint title dreams.
11 – AS Roma (36 points; last: T11)
Too late, perhaps, for them to find a way to snag their first Serie A title in 15 years, but the capital club have at least seemed reinvigourated by the integration of Stephan El Shaarawy and are well-positioned now to secure runners-up status for the third successive season, as long as they can make up the four points on backtracking Napoli. With 28 points taken from their last 30 in the league, it is hard not to envision that happening.
10 – Benfica (38 points; last: 9)
Flying under the radar as one of the most underappreciated teams in Europe, the Portuguese leaders have the best goal difference in the Primeira Liga by 15, comfortably advanced past Zenit St Petersburg into the Champions League quarter-finals and just might spring a surprise on Bayern Munich in the last eight.
9 – Tottenham Hotspur (46 points; last: 10)
Their pursuit of the English title, following a 1-1 draw against Liverpool and falling seven points behind Leicester City, is probably over. Their European march, after a relatively unnerving battering by Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, is also over. But still: Spurs are going to qualify for the Champions League, probably finish at least second, and likely will end the English season with the top flight’s best goal difference. That counts for something.
8 – Atletico Madrid (57 points; last: 5)
They lose some lustre with Real Madrid just a point behind them now after a credit-earning win over Barcelona in el clasico, but they did also beat Real as recently as late February and have a chance to assert themselves on the European stage with their quarter-final tie against Barca. The European Cup holders should not sleep on Diego Simeone’s side.
T6 – Borussia Dortmund (59 points; last: 7)
They are five points behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and one gets the sense if there were, say, 12 matches left in the season rather than six, they just might overtake the Bavarian giants. They almost certainly will not, but it is a credit to Thomas Tuchel’s team that they have kept the German league interesting this late, and they look a good bet to possibly win the Europa League too.
T6 – Leicester City (59 points; last: 4)
It is just about safe to say Leicester are the English champions elect. Whether it be magic or destiny or some other kind of strange air hovering above this club, their five 1-0 results from the last six matches – helping them avoid lost points to the likes of Norwich, Newcastle and Crystal Palace – makes it almost impossible to envision a real collapse at this point. They have a fascinating few weeks ahead.
T4 – Paris Saint-Germain (63 points; last: 6)
We are finally into the business end of the season for PSG, and league losses in recent weeks to both Lyon and Monaco can probably be forgiven after they impressively moved past Chelsea in the Champions League and seemed to signal their intent ahead of the quarter-final Manchester City clash by blasting Ligue 1 upstarts Nice 4-1 on Saturday.
T4 – Real Madrid (63 points; last: T11)
It has taken nearly all season, but we finally have gotten a glimpse of the Real Madrid that was supposed to be, fronted by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, led by an interesting and inspirational manager, Zinedine Zidane, and it looks quite good. Just ask Barcelona.
3 – Juventus (73 points; last: 2)
The scare they put into Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16 ultimately was for naught, yet it reasonable to foresee that, more than simply a giant among minnows in Italy, Juventus are poised to remain near, or at least punching at, the top of the European pecking order for some time to come.
2 – Bayern Munich (76 points; last: 3)
Bayern Munich are probably going to win the Bundesliga, which is not all that remarkable anymore. Bayern Munich are probably going to reach the Champions League semi-finals, which does not seem all that remarkable either for this club. The question is will Pep Guardiola, in his final season, deliver a treble? That would be remarkable, and it is the standard the Bavarian powerhouse will be held to.
1 – Barcelona (78 points; last: 1)
Of course, standing in Bayern’s way for the treble are Barcelona. It turns out the Catalan club are not quite invincible, as a convincing Real Madrid win in el clasico showed, and one wonders if it might be the first peak at fatigue affecting a team that have won and won and continued winning by riding Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar hard. But it is also important not to read too much into it – this is the best team in the world, and has been the best team in the world for some time, and one happenstance loss in a league they already have wrapped up should not be seen as a harbinger of a massive change in that calculus.
