Archive for the ‘world club rankings’ Category

World Club Rankings: EPL Team There’s a New No 1 ! Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea

Dec 1, 2008 Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, world club rankings

From our freinds at World Club Rankings

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Liverpool Goes Top Edition


We have a new number one in the World Club Rankings, but it’s probably not who it should be. Who is number one? Liverpool. Who should be? I think it’s pretty clear to most people that Barcelona should be. So, why aren’t they? Several weeks ago, I went into some detail about how the rankings are generated. I short, it’s a combination of how a club is doing domestically along with how those clubs’ domestic leagues have performed in recent continental championship tournaments, e.g., the UEFA Champions League. The problem for Barcelona is that the English Premiership has a pretty overwhelming lead with respect to the domestic league coefficients. Scoring six of the last eight Champions League semifinal spots and having three different clubs appear in the Champions League finals over the past two years will give you such an overwhelming domestic league coefficient advantage.

What does this mean for Barcelona? Will they never be able to take over the number one spot? Actually, they can, but they will have to earn it on the field – even more so than they already have. Right now, the system sees Barcelona as the leader of a domestic league and a qualifier for the Champions League knockout stage. Meanwhile, Liverpool is first place in a better league and also a qualifier for the Champions League knockout stage. Because of bonus points given for advancement in continental competition, Barcelona likely will advance past the top club in England if it advances further than that club in the Champions League. It is also possible if a club advances to the top of the Premiership with a significantly below average goal differential, but that is unlikely to happen between now and the Champions League knockout stages.

These league rankings also explain why we have two Scottish Premier League clubs in the rankings despite the fact that there soon will be none left in European competition. Celtic and Rangers’ dominance in the league allow them to jump over clubs from better leagues and the SPL is benefitting from successes in recent competitions, despite doing so poorly this season. Coefficients will be adjusted after the group stage ends, so we can see how that affects the SPL. It certainly won’t help it.

I didn’t get much of a chance to talk much about last week’s matches. Or this week’s matches. Or anything at all, really. I guess I’ll do that in the course of the WCR Top 25, below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – December 1, 2008

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World Club Rankings W/E 5th Oct: West Ham Fizzle Out: Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool

Oct 7, 2008 world club rankings

From our Friends at WCR

Things are still crazy in the WCR Top 25 since it’s the early season and there is not a ton of data on which to work the numbers. That being said, although there are still many untraditional clubs in the Top Ten, things are beginning to normalize as many of the big money clubs made huge jumps within the Top 25 this week, including Inter Milan (up from 21st to 12th), Barcelona (up from 23rd to 15th), Sevilla (22nd to 9th) and Arsenal (13th to 11th). Also, returning to the WCR Top 25 are additional traditional powerhouses Celtic and Sao Paulo. Manchester United hasn’t quite returned, yet, but it is bubbling just below the Top 25 and it’s just a matter of time before they make up for their shaky start and move up the rankings.

Lots of international club action took place this week, with some surprises, but nothing earth-shattering. I doubt many people expected CFR Cluj to hold the best club in the world to a scoreless draw, but in the group stages, such results are not of great consequence in isolation. Some of the most interesting matches of the weekend saw Arsenal almost suffer a second consecutive humiliating defeat and Barcelona thoroughly crushed Atletico de Madrid, 6-1.

Club action is about to go on to another hiatus, so the WCR Top 25 will go on hiatus next week, though we’ll be back with something, most likely the next in our series of Annual Rankings. I believe next up is 1984.

Once action returns, some of the top matches will include Ajax/Groningen, Inter Milan/Internazionale, Sao Paulo/Palmeiras and Arsenal/Everton. In addition, there will be one match involving two WCR Top 25 clubs when NAC Breda hosts PSV Eindhoven. Until then, enjoy the WCR Top 25 and we’ll see you back here in two weeks when we return.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World – October 6, 2008

1. Chelsea (Eng) (1) – As predicted, Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 2-0 to maintain its lead in the Premiership. This was a nice way for the Blues to bounce back from its surprising goalless draw against CFR Cluj in the Champions League. When the Premiership season returns, Chelsea faces Middlesbrough.

2. Lazio (Ita) (2) – Lazio was just a late goal from losing its Serie A lead, and thus its spot near the top of the Top 25, but managed to draw Lecce 1-1 on Sunday. Lazio also defeated Atalanta 2-0 to advance in the Coppa Italia. On October 19th, Lazio will return to Serie A action against Bologna.

3. Valencia (Esp) (3) – Valecnia’s roll continued this week with a 2-1 victory over Maritimo in the UEFA Cup and a 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid in the Primera Division. Coming up for Valencia will be Numancia a couple of weeks.

4. Liverpool (Eng) (4) – Liverpool had a good week in the Champions League, defeating PSV Eindhoven 3-1. It had to come from two goals down to defeat Manchester City 3-2 and remain in second place behind Chelsea. Liverpool will host Wigan Athletic after the international competition break.

5. Udinese (Ita) (10) – Udinese fell at home to Borussia Dortmund by a 0-2 score, but still managed to advance on penalty kicks. In Serie A, Udinese defeated Torino 2-0 to remain tied with Lazio at the top of the table. Udinese will try to do better against Lecce on October 19 than Lazio managed to do this past weekend.

6. Groningen (Ned) (NR) – This week hit the Eredivisie like last week hit the Premiership, Serie A and the Bundesliga. More specifically, the Dutch league had last season’s data purged, which is good news for Groningen, who defeated ADO Den Haag 3-0 this week and sits atop the domestic table. A good test for the newly-ranked club will take place in two weeks when Groningen takes on Ajax.

7. Villarreal (Esp) (5) – Nothing tremendous, but Villarreal had back-to-back good results this week, beating Celtic 1-0 in the Champions League and Real Betis 2-1 in the Primera Division. Upon its return to the tremendously unimaginative Primera Division schedule, Villarreal will head to Barcelona and take on Espanyol.

8. Gremio (Bra) (15) – Gremio finally got back to its former winning ways this week, defeating Botafogo 2-1. The Brasileiro Serie A will play midweek matches this week, when Gremio will host Santos. After the international competitions, Gremio will take on Portuguesa.

9. Sevilla (Esp) (21) – Sevilla has looked good this week with victories over FC Salzburg 2-0 in UEFA Cup play and Athletic de Bilbao 4-0, domestically. In two weeks, Sevilla returns to Primera Division action, taking on Almeria.

10. Porto (Por) (11) –The Liga Sagres is the last important domestic league in which last season’s data has yet to be purged. It shouldn’t matter too much, however, since Porto has already worked its way to the top of the League with a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP. This was a good result for Porto, especially following its 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League. Porto does not have a match scheduled for the weekend of October 19th.

11. Arsenal (Eng) (13) – Perhaps Arsenal should have moved up higher after destroying Porto 4-0, but it needed a late goal to score a 1-1 draw with Sunderland and avoid consecutive humiliating Premier League upsets. Arsenal will host struggling Everton when Premiership action returns in a few weeks.

12. Inter Milan (Ita) (21) – Internazionale walked away from its match with Werder Bremen with a disappointing 1-1 draw in the Champions League. Inter defeated Bologna 2-1 to move into a tie with Lazio and Udinese in Serie A. After the break, one of the better matches of the weekend will take place in Rome where Inter will face Roma.

13. Lyon (Fra) (7) – Perhaps Lyon shouldn’t count on its 435th consecutive Ligue Un title this season. After starting off the season red-hot, Lyon slowed down in a big way, losing 0-3 to Stade Rennais. Earlier in the week, Lyon fought Bayern Munich to a 1-1 draw. After the international break, Lyon will host Lille.

14. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (14) – PSV looked like the weaker club that it is against Liverpool this week, falling 1-3. PSV bounced back in the Eredivisie, defeating De Graafschaap 3-0 on Saturday. The only battle between Top 25 clubs next week takes place in the Netherlands when PSV takes on NAC Breda on the 18th.

15. Barcelona (Esp) (23) – Barcelona takes an eight-place jump in the WCR Top 25 after defeating Atletico de Madrid 6-1. Earlier in the week, Barcelona grabbed three points in the Champions League, defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1. Upon its return to Primera Division play, Barcelona will face Athletic de Bilbao.

16. TSG Hoffenheim (Ger) (NR) – I really don’t know much about this club, but they have performed surprisingly well in the Bundesliga, where it defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 this weekend. In two weeks, Hoffenheim will play Hannover 96.

17. Hamburger SV (Ger) (19) – Hamburger remains on to p of the Bundesliga by virtue of its defeat of Erergie Cottbus 2-1. One of the top matches of the return weekend will take place in Hamburg when Schalke 04 comes to visit.

18. San Lorenzo (Arg) (18) – San Lorenzo has managed to extend its lead to five points in the Argentine Apertura after defeating Velez Sarsfield 1-0. ON the 19th, San Lorenzo will host San Martin

19. Celtic (Sco) (NR) – Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League, as well as the WCR Top 25, bouncing back from a 0-1 loss to Villarreal to defeat Hamilton Academy 4-0. Coming up in a few weeks, Celtic will face Inverness.

20. VfB Stuttgart (Ger) (NR) – Stuttgart drew 2-2 with Cherno Morets, but still managed to advance in the UEFA Cup and followed that up with a 4-1 upset of Werder Bremen in Bundesliga action. After the international break, Stuttgart will play Hertha Berlin.

21. Real Madrid (Esp) (8) – Real defeated Zenit St. Petersburg to pick up three points in the Champions League, but could manage only a 2-2 draw with Espanyol, dropping it down to fifth in the Primera Division. The Madrid Derby is coming up in a few weeks, since it wasn’t enough for Atletico to take on Sevilla and Barcelona in consecutive weeks.

22. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)(6) – Leverkusen appeared to be over-ranked last week and it proved that it was against Hertha Berlin, falling 0-1. In order to stay in the Top 25, Leverkusen will have to bounce back in two weeks against Eintracht Frankfurt.

23. Sao Paulo (Bra) (NR) – After playing mediocre ball from half a season, Sao Paulo has been coming on strong recently, defeating Ipatinga 3-1 this week to move into third place in the Brasileiro Serie A. Sao Paulo will host Nautico at midweek and will face second-place Palmeiras upon its return to domestic action.

24. NAC Breda (Ned) (NR) – NAC has had a great start to the new Eredivisie season, defeating Volendam 4-2 this week. Coming up after the international break will be NAC’s biggest test thus far in this new season when it hosts defending champion PSV Eindhoven.

25. Marseille (Fra) (25) – Unlike what seems like the entire Spanish Primera Division, Marseille actually managed to lose to Atletico de Madrid 1-2, but it did manage to score a much-needed 2-1 victory over Caen. In two weeks, Marseille will return to domestic action against Valenciennes.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Aston Villa (Eng), Manchester United (Eng), Palermo (Ita), Palmeiras (Bra), Rangers (Sco).

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World Club Rankings TOP 25 - 8 New Entries - West Ham Bubbling Under, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa,

Sep 30, 2008 West Ham News, world club rankings

I warned everybody last week that all hell was going to break loose in the WCR Top 25 and I didn’t lie. This week we have eight new clubs in the WCR Top 25, including five teams debuting in the Top Ten, including Lazio, Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen. The reason for this is that last season’s results were removed from the statistics used to determine the countdown and the numbers got jumbled in England, Germany, Italy and Spain. (Rather than explaining the criteria for the WCR Top 25 each week, I’ve posted an entry detailing the efforts, to which I’ll occasionally link.) Of the domestic leagues that are still taking last season’s data into consideration, only the Dutch and Portuguese leagues have clubs in the WCR Top 25.

Among the clubs that have departed from the WCR Top 25 are Manchester United, Roma, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. I expect all of these clubs will return to the Top 25 soon, but since none of these clubs are in the top five of their domestic leagues their numbers for the season thus far are not high enough to qualify for the Top 25. Don’t worry, I’m sure that if your favorites are gone, they will be back once they have managed to work their way up their respective leagues. They just have a little work to do.

If those clubs have departed, then who took their place? Chelsea is on top of the Premiership, but other leagues have some surprise visitors at the top spot, if only temporarily. Lazio currently is on top in Serie A, Valencia in La Liga Primera Division and Hamburger in the Bundesliga. The difference is particularly clear in Serie A, where the top clubs include not only Lazio but also Napoli and Udinese, while AC Milan,
Fiorentina and Roma are nowhere to be found in the top five.

Early in the season, and for the next several weeks, the Top 25 is very volatile and promises vast changes on a weekly basis. How volatile? If Arsenal had not been upset by Hull City at Emirates Stadium, it may very well have been ranked number one. It lost, however, and is ranked thirteenth.

Even though much has changed, some things remain the same. Most notably, Chelsea remains at the top spot of the WCR Top 25 for a third consecutive week. And with eight new clubs, that still means that sixteen other clubs join Chelsea in its return trip to the rankings.

This week will see Matchday Two in the Champions League, so we will, of course, see lots of great matchups including Top 25 clubs. Over the weekend, there will be one matchup between a pair of ranked clubs, when Chelsea takes on newcomer Aston Villa. Without further adieu, below is the all new WCR Top 25.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 29, 2008

1. Chelsea (Eng) (1) – Chelsea remains at Number One despite losing all of its statistics from last season. Chelsea appears to be even better this season that they were last season, especially at this point of the season. This week, Chelsea defeated Portsmouth to advance in the Carling Cup and defeated Stoke City 2-0 to advance to the top of the Premiership. This week, Chelsea attempts to improve upon Roma’s result against CFR Cluj in Champions League action. This weekend, Chelsea will host Aston Villa in a battle of clubs near the top of the Premiership.

2. Lazio (Ita)
(NR) – From the poorhouse to the penthouse, Lazio has started this season 180 degrees differently from the disappointments of last season. This week, Lazio defeated Fiorentina 3-0 and Torino 3-1 to move into the top spot of the Italian Serie A and the upper echelons of the WCR Top 25. This week, Lazio takes on Atalanta in the Italian League Cup and will attempt to maintain its place on the Serie A pinnacle when it hosts
Lecce this weekend.

3. Valencia (Esp)
(NR) – Like Lazio, Valencia is coming back from its disappointing season of a year ago with a vengeance, leading the Primera Division after five matches, defeating Malaga 2-0 and Deportivo La Coruna 4-2 this week. Coming up, Valencia will host Maritimo in the UEFA Cup return leg and will play Real Valladolid this weekend.

4. Liverpool (Eng) (14) – I’ve been telling you for weeks that Liverpool was destined for a higher spot in the rankings and here it is. Liverpool defeated Crewe Alexandra to advance in the Carling Cup and defeated Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside Derby this week. Coming up, Liverpool will host PSV Eindhoven in Champions League action and will take on a new and improved Manchester City club in the Premiership.

5. Villarreal (Esp)
(13) – Last season, I thought that Villarreal’s success may have been a fluke, but it is following up last season’s successes with even more, defeating Racing Santander 2-0 and Sporting de Gijon 1-0 this week. On Tuesday, Villarreal gets another international test when it hosts Celtic. This weekend, the Yellow Submarine will host Real Betis in Primera Division play.

6. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (NR) – Okay, this one really surprised me, but the numbers do whatever they want to do. After advancing in the DFB Pokal, Leverkusen defeated Bochum 3-2 in its Bundesliga match. Next weekend’s match will take place against Hertha Berlin.

7. Lyon (Fra) (8) – Lyon extended its lead in Ligue Un by defeating Nancy Lorraine 2-1. Lyon goes to Germany in the Champions League to take on Bayern Munich. This weekend, Lyon stays on the road when it takes on Stade Rennais.

8. Real Madrid (Esp)
(3) – Real drops after having last season’s numbers fall away, despite having a great week, defeating Sporting de Gijon 7-1 and Real Betis 2-1. This week, Real Madrid heads east to play Zenit St. Petersburg in Champions League action, then returns to take on Espanyol in domestic play.

9. Napoli (Ita) (NR) – Napoli is another of the surprise entrants into the Top Ten, arriving, in part, due to victories this week over both Palermo and Bologna. This week, Napoli will play two away matches, against Benfica in the UEFA Cup and Genoa in Serie A.

10. Udinese (Ita) (NR) – For a while last season, Udinese challenged for a Champions League spot. Will it finally break through this season? We’ll see. It’s there for now, though, after defeating Bologna 3-0 and Siena 2-1 this week. Udinese will take on Borussia Dortmund in UEFA Cup play this week and will host Torino domestically.

11. Porto (Por) (12) – Porto’s only match this week saw it defeat Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 on Friday. This
will be a huge week for Porto as it will take on Arsenal in Champions League play and will take on Sporting CP domestically over the weekend.

12. Aston Villa (Eng) (NR) – After “bubbling under” for most of the season, Aston Villa finally debuts in the WCR Top 25 after defeating Sunderland 2-1 and despite falling from the Carling Cup by virtue of a loss to Queen’s Park Rangers. This week, Aston Villa will take on PFC Lovech in the UEFA Cup and will face
it’s biggest test of this young season when it takes on Chelsea this weekend.

13. Arsenal (Eng) – What a shocking loss. I don’t know if anybody could have predicted Arsenal losing to Hull City at Emirates Stadium, but it did. Can’t do anything but bounce back now. In the Champions League, Arsenal will host Porto this week before heading northeast to take on Sunderland over the weekend.

14. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (11) – Despite victories over Jong PSV in the KNVB Beker and Volendam in the Eredivisie, PSV is still in second place. This week will be much tougher as PSV travels to England to take on Liverpool and then take on De Graafschap domestically this weekend.

15. Gremio (Bra) (9) – Gremio is still in first place in the Brasileiro, but only by virtue of goal differential, after falling 1-4 to Internacional on Sunday. Things are starting to look bleak for Gremio as numerous clubs are now moving closer to the top of the league. Gremio will see if they can slow the inevitable fall this weekend against Botafogo.

16. Ajax (Ned) (17) – Ajax was victorious twice this week, first 2-0 against Utrecht in the KNVB Beker and later 3-0 against Vitesse in the Eredivisie. This week, Ajax will take on Borac Cacak in UEFA Cup play and will play a good Heerenveen club over the weekend.

17. Werder Bremen (Ger) (19) – Werder advance in the DFB Pokal and then outscored Hoffenheim 5-4 to move closer to the top of the Bundesliga. This week, Werder Bremen will attempt to somehow perform better against Inter Milan than it did Anorthosis Famagusta in the Champions League
and will take on VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.

18. San Lorenzo (Arg) (20) – San Lorenzo defeated Arsenal de Sarandi 2-0 to maintain its lead in the Argentine Apertura. To maintain that lead, San Lorenzo likely will have to defeat Velez Sarsfield this weekend.

19. Hamburger (Ger) (NR) – Hamburger SV is on top in the Bundeliga after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0, but is having problems gaining traction in the rankings with a goal differential of only +2 in five matches. This week, Hamburger plays two away matches, against Unirea in the UEFA Cup and against Energie Cottbus in the Bundesliga.

20. Rangers (Sco) (21) – Rangers defeated Partick Thistle 2-1 to advance in the Scottish League Cup and defeated Hibernian 3-0 on Sunday to maintain its lead in the SPL. This week, Rangers take on St. Mirren to see if it can maintain that position.

21. Inter Milan (Ita) (2) – Uninspired play led Internazionale to fall 0-1 to its cross-town rivals in the best matchup of the weekend after defeating Lecce by the same score at midweek. The Inter Milan match against Werder Bremen promises to be entertaining. Over the weekend, Inter will take on Bologna as it tries to climb its way back to the top of Serie A.

22. Sevilla (Esp) (NR) – Sevilla scored a huge victory in Madrid this weekend against Atletico, 1-0. This week, Sevilla will try to recapture some past glory when it takes on Salzburg in the UEFA Cup. In Primera Division action, Sevilla will host Athletic de Bilbao this weekend.

23. Barcelona (Esp) (15) – After a rough start to the season, Barcelona had a great week this time around, defeating Real Betis 3-2 and Espanyol 2-1. We’ll see if the good times continue in the Ukraine when Barcelona takes on Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League play. Domestically, Barcelona will take on Atletico de Madrid in what promises to be the Primera Division game of the week.

24. Palmeiras (Bra) (22) – Palmeiras played two matches this week and didn’t score a single goal. Nevertheless, Palmeiras managed to tie Gremio at the top of the Brasileiro Serie A after a goalless draw with Nautico. This
week, Palmeiras follows up its scoreless draw against Sport Ancash with the return leg in the second round of the Copa Sudamericana. Domestically, Palmeiras will take on Atletico Belo Horizonte as it waits for Gremio to further self-destruct.

25. Marseille (Fra)
(18) – It’s beginning to look like this isn’t the season that somebody challenges Lyon in Ligue Un after Marseille managed only a 1-1 draw against Le Mans after Sochaux eliminated Marseille from the Coupe de Ligue. This week, Marseille goes to Spain to take on Atletico de Madrid in
Champions League play and then returns home to host Caen in La Championnat.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Catania (Ita), Celtic (Sco), Sao Paulo (Bra), Schalke 04 (Ger), West Ham United  (Eng).

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World Club Rankings W/E 7th Sept - Man Utd still Top - Arsenal - Liverpool - Chelsea

Sep 8, 2008 world club rankings

By www.worldclubrankings.com

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Nobody Wants to be Number One Edition

While it’s clear that Manchester United has not played like the best club in the world recently, it’s equally clear that none of the other top clubs in the world seem to want to take the top spot over. As a case in point, let’s look at last week’s top six. While United fell to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Super Cup, four of the five clubs directly behind it in the rankings (Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Roma) all managed no more than a draw or, in Real’s case, a loss. The only club in the top six to score a victory this weekend was Bayern Munich, whose victory, while impressive, was its first in three Bundesliga matches this season.

Many of the other top clubs fared no better as Liverpool could only draw with Aston Villa and Barcelona and AC Milan both fell to recently-relegated clubs. In fact, of last week’s Top 25 Clubs, only five managed to go through the week without some sort of blemish on their records – Bayern, Arsenal, Lyon, PSV and Palmeiras – and all of those clubs have experienced some trouble recently.

We are edging closer to the time when last season’s results drop out of the formulas. (As a reminder, that happens after the clubs in each domestic league average five matches played. Usually, this is after the fifth matchday, but could be the sixth because of postponed matches.) As a result of all of the top club failures this weekend, the rankings do not show substantial change, though there is some.

I’m giving out the first WCR Top 25 Club of the Week award to Atletico de Madrid, who returns to the WCR Top 25 for the first time this season after a pair of impressive victories over Schalke 04 in the Champions League qualifiers and over Malaga in its Primera Division debut. I anticipate Atletico will shoot up the rankings as the season progresses. For now, I have it a twenty-fifth.

Because of World Cup qualifiers and other international play, none of the Top 25 Clubs will be in action over the next week-and-a-half except for the Brazilian clubs – Gremio and Palmeiras. For this reason, there will be no WCR Top 25 next week. Don’t panic, though – It’ll be back on or about September 15, following the huge Premiership battle of Manchester United and Liverpool. I will throw in a few more Annual Rankings during the hiatus in order to provide you with lists with which to disagree. Enjoy the World Cup qualifiers and I hope you national team advances!!!

World Club Rankings – Top 25 –  W/E 7th September

1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Manchester United hung on to the top spot by the skin of its teeth again this week, but it appears that its exit from the pole position is imminent. In my humble opinion, United was outplayed by Zenit St. Petersburg in its 1-2 UEFA Super Cup loss and was fortunate not to lose by even more. Manchester United’s shot at redemption comes as soon as club play picks up in a couple of weeks when it travels to Anfield to take on Liverpool in a key early-season Premiership matchup.

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World Club Rankings End of Week 2 - Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Real Madrid, Barcelona

Aug 29, 2008 world club rankings

World Club Rankings - Finely assembled by WCR
If you’re reading this, then we should congratulate Manchester United on defeating Portsmouth on Monday. This week, I ran the numbers on each of three scenarios, a United win, a United draw and a United loss. The only scenario that keeps Manchester United on top is a victory over Portsmouth. Since I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to do this article on Monday, I’m going to go ahead and draft it now, assuming the most likely outcome. I’ll set my site not to post it until after the match, so I have time to change it if that outcome doesn’t take place – in which case, I’ll rerank the clubs, rewrite this paragraph and you’ll never see it.
It was a tough week for a few teams at the top of the list as Arsenal was upset by Fulham, Roma lost a heartbreaker to Inter Milan and Bayern could manage only a draw against Dortmund, though they put up quite a fight to do that. As was the case last week, there is very little movement in the rankings this week as this season’s stats count only as a continuation of last season’s stats until Matchday Five for each league. Substantial movement will take place once we get there, but the rankings will remain semi-rigid until then. (Unless Manchester United didn’t win today, in which case, you’ll see a change at the top this week.)
With the Olympics winding down, I got back into my old habit of watching way more football that any person has the right to do. The highlights of the weekend had to be the Super Cups in Italy and Spain. In Italy, the match was heavily contested the whole way and, after extra time, saw Inter Milan defeat AS Roma on penalty kicks. In Spain, Real Madrid was down in the aggregate and down to nine players when they kicked things into high gear and stole the cup from out of Valencia’s hands.
There’s one match in the coming week among WCR Top 25 clubs, as Fiorentina hosts Juventus in both clubs’ Italian Serie A season debut. In addition, a pair of classic rivalries are renewed this weekend when Celtic takes on Rangers and Porto takes on Benfica. While you wait for those matches, there are tons of international club matches during the week as UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup qualifiers continue, as does the Copa Sudamericana, the debut of the CONCACAF Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup and Recopa Sudamericana finale. Perhaps most importantly, this weekend is the first weekend of the season in which all WCR Top 25 Clubs are in action. I may have to quit my job in order to catch all the action, but I’m pretty sure it would be worth it. You can make your own judgment with respect to your job.
World Club Rankings – Top 25 – August 29, 2008
1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – As discussed above, if Manchester United is still in the top spot, they must have defeated Portsmouth today. If they hadn’t, I would have changed this before you had a chance to read it. The upcoming excitement for United this week come in the form of the UEFA Super Cup, when Manchester United takes on UEFA Cup champions Zenit St. Petersburg on Friday.
2. Inter Milan (Ita) (2) – The season hasn’t even started yet and Jose Mourinho has already brought some hardware to Milan. Are you watching, Chelsea? The hardware was in the form of the Italian Super Coppa, where Inter defeated Roma on penalty kicks after a 2-2 battle. Inter starts the defense of its Serie A title this weekend against Sampdoria on Saturday.
3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Perhaps Real Madrid should play nine men every game. Their nine were considerably better than Valencia’s eleven in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup, which Real Madrid won 4-2. The Spanish Primera Division kicks off this weekend and Real Madrid will take on Deportivo La Coruna as it attempts to defend its title.
4. Chelsea (Eng) (4) – Chelsea wasn’t as impressive this weekend as it was last weekend, but it was impressive enough to defeat Wigan Athletic 1-0. Chelsea will host Tottenham this weekend in Premiership action.
5. Bayern Munich (Ger) (5) – Bayern is one of those clubs that is benefitting by having this season’s and last season’s numbers combined, even if it is temporary. Actually, Bayern played very well this weekend as they were shorthanded almost the entire game against Borussia Dortmund and still managed a 1-1 draw. These draws, however, aren’t going to win another Bundesliga title or keep them in the Top Ten once last season’s numbers drop away. In desperate need of a victory, Bayern hosts Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
6. Roma (Ita) (6) – On the verge of winning the Super Coppa, Roma suffered a heartbreaking loss to Inter Milan yesterday. In the big scheme of things, however, that’s probably not that important. What is important is getting to play in a Super Coppa, because it means you either won the Coppa Italia or the Scudetto. The first step in winning this season’s Serie A title takes place on Sunday when Roma hosts Napoli.
7. Arsenal (Eng) (7) – Like Bayern, Arsenal will have to pick things up soon if it wants to remain in the Top Ten after last season’s numbers drop off. Losing 0-1 to Fulham (and falling a point behind Newcastle United) is not a good sign. This week, Arsenal hosts FC Twente, where it will try to qualify for the Champions League group stage. This weekend, Arsenal hosts Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium. (No offense Gunner fans – but Go Magpies!!!)
8. Gremio (Bra) (8) – Gremio had a rough time this week, taking only a single point in two matches, including a 1-1 draw with Nautico. Gremio’s once-huge lead is down to five points. This week, Gremio plays its home match against Internacional in the Copa Sudamericana and hosts Vasco Da Gama in Serie A play.
9. Porto (Por) (9) – Porto began its defense of the bwin Superliga title this weekend with a 2-0 victory over Os Belenenses. This weekend’s matchup for Porto will be against archrival SL Benfica.
10. Juventus (Ita) (11) – With a 4-0 lead, Juventus should have no problems this week advancing to the Champions League proper against Artmedia. Sunday’s Serie A debut may be a little more difficult when they travel to take on Fiorentina.
11. Lyon (Fra) (12) – As expected, Lyon ended Grenoble’s short-lived reign at the top of Ligue Un, defeating Grenoble 2-0. Now tied for first, Lyon takes on St. Etienne on Sunday.
12. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (10) – PSV continued its dominance of domestic competition by defeating Feyenoord this weekend to win the Dutch Super Cup. The Eredivisie gets underway this weekend and PSV starts off its title defense against FC Utrecht.
13. Werder Bremen (Ger) (13) – Took on Schalke 04 this weekend and walked away with a 1-1 draw, which wasn’t a horrible result, considering the competition. This week, Bremen takes on Bundesliga returnee Borussia Monchengladbach.
14. Villarreal (Esp) (14) – Villarreal’s season finally gets underway this weekend when it takes on Osasuna.
15. Liverpool (Eng) (15) – ‘Pool fans are upset with me because of this ranking, but Liverpool looks to be a team that should shoot up the rankings very quickly after last season’s numbers fall away. Two matches, two victories for Liverpool as it defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 this weekend. Nothing but a victory will do this week when Liverpool faces Standard Liege, if Liverpool wants to advance in the Champions League. Premiership action returns over the weekend when Liverpool takes on Aston Villa.
16. Barcelona (Esp) (16) – Will Barcelona improve upon last season’s disappointing third-place finish? If so, by how much? We’re getting to the time to start getting answers. Barcelona should face little competition from Wisla Krakow in Champions League qualifiers this week and, perhaps, even less against Numancia this weekend as it starts off its Primera Division season.
17. Ajax (Ned) (17) – The Eredivisie is about to start and for Ajax, it begins against Willem II Tiburg on Saturday.
18. Celtic (Sco) (18) – Celtic has looked good in this young season, defeating Falkirk 3-0 this weekend. The match that everybody looks forward to takes place this weekend as the next page in the Celtic – Rangers Glasgow derby is written.
19. Schalke 04 (Ger) (20) – Drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen, in Bremen, is not an easy accomplishment. Schalke’s big match of the week takes place in Spain, where Schalke takes its 1-0 lead into the away match of its Champions League qualifier against Atletico de Madrid. On Saturday, Schalke takes on VfL Bochum in Bundesliga action.
20. Boca Juniors (Arg) (NR) – With a 2-1 come from behind victory against Lanus, Boca Juniors returns to the Top 25. Boca takes on Arsenal this week in the home match of the Recopa Sudamericana, where it holds a 3-1 lead. In domestic action next weekend, Boca will take on Huracan.
21. Bordeaux (Fra) (21) – Bordeaux defeated Nantes 2-0 this weekend in Ligue Un action. Next weekend, Bordeaux’s opponent will be Lille.
22. Palmeiras (Bra) (25) – With a 4-2 victory over Portuguesa this weekend, Palmeiras moves into second place in the Brasileiro Serie A and to within five points of Gremio. Palmeiras will take on Atletico Paranaense this coming weekend.
23. Fiorentina (Ita) (22) – Fiorentina looks to reach the promised land this week as it takes its 2-0 lead to Prague to face Slavia with a Champions League group stage spot on the line. On Sunday, Fiorentina will host Juventus in both clubs’ opening Serie A match.
24. Everton (Eng) (24) – Everton took care of business this weekend, defeating West Bromwich Albion 2-1. Everton will host Portsmouth, who already has taken on Chelsea and Manchester United, this weekend.
25. AC Milan (Ita) (25) – Milan has a lot to prove this season, like proving that it shouldn’t be ranked this low, but it has had little opportunity to prove much yet. Milan can start proving things this weekend in Serie A when they host Bologna.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Atletico de Madrid (Esp), Cruzeiro (Bra), Hamburger (Ger), Rangers (Sco), Sevilla (Esp)

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World Club Rankings Top 25 - 18 Aug 08 - Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona

Aug 19, 2008 world club rankings

I think we can say that we are now well underway to the start of the season. Action kicked off again in England, Germany and Argentina this past weekend and picks up in Portugal this coming weekend. We also have Super Cup action in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain on the horizon and it’s just another couple weeks before those nations are full throttle again. Oh, how I’ve missed it.

This week’s WCR Top 25 does not provide a great difference from last week’s. This is a data-driven countdown. As I explained in the Pre-Season Edition of the Top 25, for the first five weeks of each domestic league’s new season, data from this season will be added to data from last season in order to work the numbers. The reasons for this are clear after just a week or two as it is obviously too early to put clubs like Hull City and Grenoble in my top ten. That’s not to say they won’t make it (although, it’s probably a safe bet that they won’t), it’s just that there needs to be additional data before they qualify for a ranking.

The result is that Manchester United is still in the pole position, though it maintained the apex by only the skin of its teeth after managing only a draw at home against Newcastle United. There has been some movement in the rankings – and that movement will become very fluid after each club has played at least five matches, but for this week, the list is pretty static. Still, this is an opportunity to link to stories of the weekend’s action and highlight what is coming up in the coming week. Enjoy.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 – August 18, 2008

1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – How badly do they miss Cristiano Ronaldo. While it’s true that Shay Given played well, Man United looked like a team in desperate need of a striker in its 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. Another match like this and Manchester United can forget about the top spot, defending European Champions or not. United is off until next Monday when they travel to Portsmouth for their next Premiership match.

2. Inter Milan (Ita) (2) – No matches of any significance this past week. That changes on Sunday when Inter takes on fellow powerhouse Roma in the Italian Super Cup.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Real Madrid fell 2-3 to Valencia in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. On Saturday, Real Madrid will get a chance to seek revenge against their Spanish foes in the final tune up for the Primera Division season.

4. Chelsea (Eng) (5) – Chelsea moves up a notch by crushing poor Portsmouth 4-0 in both clubs’ Premiership debut. Chelsea is on the verge of moving up three more notches following Manchester United’s stumble. Chelsea’s victim, I mean opponent, this coming weekend is Wigan Athletic.

5. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (4) – Bayern could not hold on to a 2-0 lead against a tough Hamburger team this past weekend in a match that ended in a 2-2 draw. Bayern will look to bounce back this weekend when it takes on Borussia Dortmund.

6. Roma (Ita) (6) – Like Inter, Roma is coming off of a week in which it saw no action of significance, but that ends this weekend when last year’s two top clubs in Italy’s Serie A face off in the Italian Super Cup.

7. Arsenal (Eng) (7) – Arsenal is far off from reaching Manchester United themselves in the two-year aggregate numbers after defeating West Bromwich Albion 1-0. This was after Arsenal defeated FC Twente 2-0 in the Netherlands to take an overwhelming lead in the Champions League qualifiers. Arsenal hits the road this weekend to take on Fulham in Premier League action.

8. Gremio (Bra) (8) – Gremio looked lackluster against fellow-Brazilian club Internacional in its 1-1 draw in the Copa Sudamericana, but was able to defeat defending Serie A champion Sao Paolo 1-0 in domestic action this weekend, extending its lead. This week sees Gremio playing two away matches in

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