WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - South America Rising Edition

I’d love to talk about something else, but I feel compelled to start this off by congratulating Manchester City on winning its first English title since 1968 in a manner more dramatic than I could have imagined.  Two stoppage time goals, both necessary for the result, took my breath away.  I’m happy for the boys in blue.

The reason I’d rather talk about something else, though, is that nothing changed in the first eleven spots in the rankings.  Nothing.  City and United kept the same spots as the previous week, just like everybody else in the rankings.  Now that the regular season has come to an end for the vast majority of European domestic leagues, I don’t anticipate a lot of movement involving those clubs in the near future.

The second half of the rankings, however, experienced a lot of movement.  The reason for this has little to do with anything that happened in Europe and more with what was taking place this week in South America.  With the conclusion of the eighth-finals in the Copa Libertadores, Bonus Points have finally been awarded to South American clubs that reached the quarterfinals of the South American championship tournament, as they had been awarded to European clubs months ago for advancement in the UEFA Champions League.  The result is a lot more diversity in the rankings than we’ve seen in quite a while.  At least, in the second half of the rankings.

What do the rankings look like now?  Take a look.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – May 14, 2012

1.  Real Madrid  (Esp) (1) – Real Madrid finished its Primera División season with a record 100 points, defeating Mallorca 4-1 in the finale.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

2.  Bayern Munich  (Ger) (2) – If Bayern wants any silverware this season, it’ll have to come in the Champions League because it was crushed 2-5 by Borussia Dortmund in the final of the DFB Poka.  Coming Up:  Playing at home, Bayern will face off with Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.

3.  Barcelona  (Esp) (3) – Barça said goodbye to La Liga in lackluster form this week, drawing 2-2 with Real Betis in the final match.  Coming Up:  No matches this week.

4.  Manchester City  (Eng) (4) – It took two stoppage time goals for City to defeat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 and with the English Premier League for the first time since 1968.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

5.  Juventus  (Ita) (5) – The Italian Serie A champion completed an undefeated season in league play with a 3-1 victory over Atalanta.  Coming Up:  On Sunday, Juventus will take on Napoli in the final of the Coppa Italia.

6.  Manchester United  (Eng) (6) – United did what it had to do by defeating Sunderland 1-0, but the gods were not with them back in Manchester and United finished the season in second place in the English Premier League.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

7.  Chelsea  (Eng) (7) – After losing 1-4 to Liverpool on Tuesday, the Premier League finale for Chelsea meant little to the boys in blue, but they did end the regular season on a high note with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.  Coming Up:  On Saturday, at Allianz Arena in Munich, Chelsea will try to win its first Champions League crown by defeating hometown favorite Bayern Munich.

8.  Borussia Dortmund  (Ger) (8) – Dortmund completed the German double this weekend with a 5-2 thrashing of Bayern Munich in the final of the DFB Pokal.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

9.  Porto (Por) (9) – Porto brought an end to its Liga Sagres championship season with a 5-2 victory over Rio Ave.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

10.  AC Milan  (Ita) (10) – Milan walked away from home with a 2-1 win over Serie B bound Novara, finishing the season in second place in Italy’s top division.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

11.  Montpellier  (Fra) (11) – Montpellier inched closer to the Ligue 1 championship by defeating defending-champion Lille 1-0 with a late goal.  Coming Up:  All Montpellier needs in its final match at Auxerre on Sunday is a draw to clinch the title.

12.  Corinthians  (Bra) (24) – The defending Brazilian Serie A champions defeated Emelec 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores.  Coming Up:  On Wednesday, the top two Brazilian clubs from a season ago will match up in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores.  This first leg will be at Vasco.  On Sunday, Corinthians will begin the defense of its Serie A title as the new season gets underway at home against Fluminense.

13.  Arsenal  (Eng) (12) – It was harder than it should have been, but Arsenal booked a spot somewhere in the Champions League for next season by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

14.  Olympiakos  (Gre) (13) – Season complete.

15.  Monterrey  (Mex) (18) – After drawing 0-0 in its first leg Liguilla semifinal with Club América, Monterrey came home and defeated América 2-0 to advance to the Clausura championship.  Coming Up:  The schedules aren’t yet set, but Monterrey will be facing Santos Laguna in the Liguilla final in a rematch of the final of the CONCACAF Champions League.

16.  Santos Laguna  (Mex) (19) – In two matches with Tigres UANL, Santos drew 1-1 away and drew again at home, this time by a 2-2 score in the Mexican Clausura Liguilla.  Because the Liguilla doesn’t use away goals in the semifinal, Santos Laguna advanced to the final by virtue of being the higher-seeded club.  Coming Up:  Sometime this week, schedules are not yet set, Santos and Monterrey will face off again in the final of the Clausura Liguilla.

17.  Vasco da Gama  (Bra) (NR) – It took penalty kicks following a 2-1 victory for Vasco to take out Argentina’s Lanús to advance to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals.  Coming Up:  Vasco will be at home on Wednesday to host Corinthians in its next Copa Libertadores match.  In the Brazilian Serie A, which gets under way this week, Vasco will host Gremio on Sunday.

18.  Benfica  (Por) (14) – Benfica finished off its season with a 3-1 away victory against Vitória Setúbal.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

19.  Paris St.-Germain  (Fra) (15) – With a 3-0 victory over Stade Rennes, PSG is still alive, though on life support, for the championship of Ligue 1.  Coming Up:  To win the title, PSG will have to beat Lorient away on Sunday and then hope that Montpellier loses.

20.  Tottenham Hotspur  (Eng) (17) – Spurs finished in fourth place in the English Premier League by beating Fulham 2-0 at White Hart Lane.  It will now have to wait and see what happens in the UEFA Champions League final to determine its European fate for next season.  Coming Up:  Season over.

21.  Zenit St. Petersburg  (Rus)  (20) – Zenit completed its championship season by defeating big-money club Anzhi Makhachkala 2-0 in the Russian Premier League.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

22.  Schalke 04  (Ger) (21) – Season complete.

23.  Valencia  (Esp) (16) – Valencia finished its season with a 0-1 loss at Real Sociedad, closing off the season in the same fashion in which it had played much of the second half of the season.  Coming Up:  Season Complete.

24.  Boca Juniors  (Arg) (NF) – Boca went to Chile and beat Union Española 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores.  Unfortunately, its luck didn’t hold up this weekend and a 0-0 draw with Vélez Sarsfield dropped Boca into second place in the Argentine Clausura.

25.  Shakhtar Donetsk  (Ukr) (22) – Shakhtar completed the Ukrainian double by winning the league this week with a 3-0 defeat of Oleksandria.  Coming Up:  Season Complete.

Bubbling Under:  Borussia Mönchengladbach  (Ger), Fluminense  (Bra), Lille  (Fra), Sporting Braga  (Por), Udinese  (Ita).

Next Five:  Dynamo Kyiv  (Ukr), Lazio  (Ita), Newcastle United  (Eng), Panathinaikos  (Gre), Vélez Sarsfield  (Arg).

Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs: 

16 May – (12) Corinthians at (17) Vasco da Gama

19 May – (2) Bayern Munich vs (7) Chelsea

Sometime this week – (15) Monterrey vs (16) Santos Laguna

Weekend Soccer on Television - 12/13 May 2012

Well, we’re finally reaching the end.  This weekend is the last thing we are going to have to a full weekend of action until the fall.  We are going to dispense with the Top Five Matches of the Weekend because there aren’t really enough matches going on to justify it but there are three matches, or groups of matches that could be considered for the top spot.

First, in Germany, is the final of the DFB Pokal.  Germany’s cup final sports the only matchup of two WCR Top 25 Clubs as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will be battling for the title.

In France, on Sunday, defending Ligue 1 champion Lille will be taking on first-place Montpellier in a match that will have huge implications regarding this season’s championship.  Of course, France will have another week left in its top division season.

In England, there’s just Sunday.  That’s all that’s left.  At the top are very important matches as Manchester City can take home its first Premier League championship since 1968 with a victory.  If it chokes, though, Manchester United can still take home the title.  Meanwhile, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle will all be playing with a chance of taking home third-place, and an automatic qualifying spot in next season’s Champions League.  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, all of these matches will take place at the same time.  You should start exercising your remote control thumb now, just to be ready.  Have a great weekend!!!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

2:00 pm – (8) Borussia Dortmund vs (12) Bayern Munich  (ESPN3)

2:00 pm – (16) Valencia at Real Sociedad  (ESPND, ESPN3)

3:00 pm – Rampla Juniors at Nacional  (GolTV)

4:00 pm – (3) Barcelona at Real Betis  (ESPN2, ESPND, ESPN3)

10:00 pm – Club América at (18) Monterrey  (Univision)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

7:30 am – Hearts at Celtic  (FSP)

10:00 am – Fulham at (17) Tottenham Hotspur  (FSC)

10:00 am – (6) Manchester United at Sunderland  (FoxD)

10:00 am – Bolton at Stoke City  (FSP)

10:00 am – Queens Park Rangers at (4) Manchester City  (ESPN2, ESPND, ESPN3)

12 noon – (12) Arsneal at West Bromwich Albion  (FoxD)

12:30 pm – Atalanta at (5) Juventus  (Delayed) (FSP)

12:30 pm – New York Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union  (ESPN2, ESPN3)

2:00 pm – Mallorca at (1) Real Madrid  (GolTV)

2:00 pm – Athletic Bilbao at Levante  (ESPND)

2:45 pm – Inter Milan at Lazio  (FSC, FoxD)

2:45 pm – Siena at Napoli  (FSP)

4:00 pm – Guarani at Santos  (Delayed) (GolTV)

5:00 pm – Lille at (11) Montpellier  (Delayed) (FSP)

6:00 pm – Vélez Sarsfield at Boca Juniors  (GolTV)

7:00 pm – Chivas USA at San Jose Earthquake  (Galavisión)

8:00 pm – Atlético Madrid at Villarreal  (Delayed) (GolTV)

9:00 pm – Tigres at (19) Santos Laguna  (UniDep)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Deja Vu Edition

It would be wrong of me to say that there was no excitement this past week.  Among other championships that were decided, Juventus clinched the title in Serie A, Real Madrid in the Primera Divsión and Chelsea took home the FA Cup.  Yes, there was plenty of excitement.  What would be correct of me to say, however, is that this week’s excitement isn’t necessarily demonstrated in this week’s rankings, where the Top Fifteen positions remain identical to what they had been the week before.

Never fear, though, because next week’s rankings promise plenty of changes as the Copa Libertadores finishes the eighth-finals this week and Bonus Points are finally awarded to South American clubs.  At the moment, it’s impossible to tell how those will affect the rankings, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more South American clubs pop into the rankings, for a change.

I’m sure you know all of the big things that happened this week, but maybe there are some little things that you might not have heard about that you can read about below.  (Shakhtar Donetsk winning the Ukrainian Cup anybody?)  Have a look-see and enjoy.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – May 7, 2012

1.  Real Madrid  (Esp) (1) – Congratulations to Real Madrid for winning the Primera División title this week and scoring six more points in the process in a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at midweek and a 2-1 win at Granada this weekend.  Coming Up:  Real’s season will come to an end after its final home match against Mallorca on Sunday.

2.  Bayern Munich  (Ger) (2) – Bayern finished off its Bundesliga season with a 4-1 defeat of Cologne, which helped to send Cologne back into 2. Bundesliga for next season.  Coming Up:  Bayern will try to match Chelsea on Saturday by taking home its domestic cup competition, the DFB Pokal, but it will face stiffer competition that Chelsea with Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund in the final.

3.  Barcelona  (Esp) (3) – It’s all for show now, but what a show it is, particularly for Lionel Messi, who continues to put up astronomical numbers.  After beating Málaga 4-1 at midweek, Messi scored all four goals in Barcelona’s 4-0 derby defeat of Espanyol.  Coming Up:  Barça’s final Primera División match of the season will be at Real Betis on Saturday.

4.  Manchester City  (Eng) (4) – City held serve this week by defeating Newcastle United 2-0 to stay on top of the English Premier League.  Coming Up:  Barring an unlikely 12-goal outburst by United over the weekend, City can clinch its first Premier League title since 1968 with a victory at home against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.

5.  Juventus  (Ita) (5) – It looked dicey for Juve after a 1-1 midweek draw with Lecce, but a Milan loss together with Juventus’ 2-0 victory over Cagliari delivered the Serie A title to Juventus.  Coming Up:  Juve will finish its season next Sunday at home against Atalanta.

6.  Manchester United  (Eng) (6) – United did what it had to do, defeating Swansea City 2-0 to keep pace with City, but it will still need help in order to win the Premier League title.  Coming Up:  United will finish its season next Sunday at Sunderland and hope for the best.

7.  Chelsea  (Eng) (7) – Chelsea may very well need to win the Champions League on May 19 if it wants to play in Europe next season after falling 0-2 to Newcastle United and falling deeper into sixth place in the Premier League.  That doesn’t keep it from winning titles this season, though, having defeated Liverpool 2-1 to win the 2011/12 FA Cup.  Coming Up:  Chelsea will face Liverpool again, this time at Anfield on Tuesday, to make up for a postponed match and then it will close its Premier League season at home against Blackburn on Sunday.

8.  Borussia Dortmund  (Ger) (8) – Dortmund’s record-setting Bundesliga season came to an end this weekend with a 4-0 thumping of Freiburg at home.  Coming Up:  Dortmund will be going for the domestic double this weekend against Bayern Munich in the final of the DFB Pokal.

9.  Porto  (Por) (9) – The Liga Sagres champion continued its hot streak with a 2-0 victory voer Sporting CP.  Coming Up:  The end of the Liga Sagres for Porto takes place on Sunday at Rio Ave.

10.  AC Milan  (Ita) (10) – It looked for a few days like Milan had a chance to catch Juventus after defeating Atalanta 2-0 midweek, but Milan’s 2-4 loss to archrival Inter Milan clinched the title for Juve.  Coming Up:  AC Milan will be at home on Sunday against Novara in its Serie A finale.

11.  Monpellier  (Fra) (11) – A slip by Monpellier in a 2-2 draw at home against Evian leaves Montpellier tied with PSG atop the Ligue 1 standings, though Montpellier does have a game in hand.  Coming Up:  That game in hand will be played later today at Stade Rennes.  Next Sunday, Monntpellier will be at home against Lille, who still has an outside chance of winning a second consecutive Ligue 1 title.

12.  Arsenal  (Eng) (12) – The Gunners blew an opportunity to secure a Champions League spot for next season by drawing 3-3 with Norwich City.  Coming Up:  Arsenal is still in the catbird’s seat for third place in England’s Premier League and will win the spot if it can defeat West Bromwich Albion away on Sunday.

13.  Olympiakos  (Gre) (13) – Season complete.

14.  Benfica  (Por) (14) – Benfica clinched a spot in next season’s Champions League and second place the Liga Sagres with a 1-0 victory over União de Leiria.  Coming Up:  On Sunday, Benfica will finish its domestic league season at Vitória Setúbal.

15.  Paris St.-Germain  (Fra) (15) – PSG picked up six points in two matches this week to stay in the thick of the hunt for the Ligue 1 title.  At midweek, PSG defeated St.-Étienne 2-0 at Parc des Princes and then it pulled off a big away victory, 4-3 over Valenciennes.  Coming Up:  PSG will be at home for its next Ligue 1 match, against Stade Rennes on Sunday.

16.  Valencia  (Esp) (21) – Valencia came around when it mattered, securing a spot in next season’s Champoions League with a 4-0 victory over Osasuna and a 1-0 win over Villarreal, both at home.  Coming Up:  Valencia will be at Real Sociedad on Saturday in its season finale.

17.  Tottenham Hotspur  (Eng) (20) – Spurs kept its fourth place spot in the Premier League following a 4-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers, but its 1-1 draw with Aston Villa kept it from catching Arsenal in the table this week.  Coming Up:  On Sunday, Tottenham will be at White Hart Lane to host Fulham, looking for a victory and a little help.

18.  Monterrey  (Mex) (19) – The CONCACAF Champions League winner followed up a 2-1 victory over Tijuana with a 1-1 draw with the same club to advance to the semifinals of the Clausura Liguilla.  Coming Up:  I’m not sure of the dates yet, but Monterrey will face off with Club América in the Mexican championship tournament.

19.  Santos Laguna  (Mex) (18) – Santos also advanced to the Liguilla semifinals, defeating Jaguares 6-4 on aggegate in the clubs’ two matches.  Coming Up:  Santos Laguna’s semifinal opponent in the Liguilla will be Tigres UANL.

20.  Zenit St. Petersburg  (Rus) (16) – With a championship in hand, Zenit is just playing out its season, drawing 2-2 with Rubin Kazan’ before losing 2-3 to Spartak Moscow this weekend.  Coming Up:  Zenit will take on Samuel Eto’o and the boys of Anzhi Makhachkala on Sunday to finish off its season.

21.  Schalke 04  (Ger) (17) – Schalke finished its Bundesliga season in third-place following a 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

22.  Shakhtar Donetsk  (Ukr) (22) – Shakhtar won the first half of its attempted domestic double by beating Metalurh Donetsk in the final of the Ukrainian Cup 2-1 in extra time.  Earlier in the week, Shakhtar had defeated Metalist 2-1 to move within a victory of winning the Ukrainian Premier League, as well.  Coming Up:  Shakhtar can clinch the UPL championship with a victory against Oleksandria on Thursday.

23.  Udinese  (Ita) (BU) – Udinese is back in third place and in contention for Italy’s Champions League qualifier spot after picking up six points this week with a 1-0 win at Cesena and a 2-0 victory at Genoa.  Coming Up:  Udinese will get the qualification spot for the second consecutive season if can be Catania on Sunday.

24.  Corinthians  (Bra) (25) – In the first leg of its Copa Libertadroes eighth-final match, Corinthians went to Ecuador and finished tied 0-0 with Emelec.  Coming Up:  The rematch with Emelec in Brazil will take place Wednesday night.

25.  Sporting Braga  (Por) (24) – Braga clinched third place in the Liga Sagres after sliding by Beira-Mar with a 1-0 win.  Coming Up:  It means little in the table, but Braga at Sporting CP on Sunday still promises to be a great match.

Bubbling Under:  Borussia Mönchengladbach  (Ger), CSKA Moscow  (Rus), Dynamo Kyiv  (Ukr), Lille  (Fra), Panathinaikos  (Gre).

Next Five:  Boca Juniors  (Arg), Galatasaray  (Tur), Lazio  (Ita), Napoli  (Ita), Newcastle United  (Eng).

Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:

12 May – (2) Bayern Munich vs (8) Borussia Dortmund

Weekend Soccer on Television - 5/6 May 2012

This time of season, it’s difficult to just look at the schedule and determine which matches are important.  For example, the Number One club in the most recent WCR Top 25, Real Madrid, doesn’t play another meaningful match the rest of the season.  It has already been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey and has already clinched the championship in La Liga’s Primera División.  How badly do you really want to see its remaining matches?

On the other side of the coin, many of the worst clubs in Europe are playing very important matches as they attempt to avoid relegation.  How interesting are those, really, unless your club is one that’s involved?

Here at World Club Rankings, we like matches between good clubs.  We never pick favorites in the rankings, but we are a little bit this week in the Top Five Matches of the Weekend.  We don’t try to hide the fact that we’re Newcastle United supporters here in our basement office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the match we want to see most of all this weekend is the Magpies taking on Manchester City, as we fight for a Champions League position and City fights for the English Premier League championship.

We wouldn’t blame you if you preferred to watch the English FA Cup final.  Hell, we’re meeting some friends at a pub in San Telmo and watching it ourselves.  We’re just not putting it at the top of the list of must-watch matches.  What are we putting on the list?  You’ll see that below.  Whatever your interests, and whatever you watch, have a great weekend!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend:

1.  Manchester City at Newcastle United  (Sunday, 8:30 am (EDT), FSC, FoxD)

2.  Chelsea vs. Liverpool  (Saturday, 12 noon, FSC, FoxD)

3.  Málaga at Atlético Madrid  (Saturday, 3:00 pm, ESPN3)

4.  AC Milan at Inter Milan  (Sunday, 2:45 pm, FSC, FoxD, ESPN3)

5.  Sporting CP at Porto  (Saturday, 3:30 pm, ESPN3)

Friday, May 4, 2012

11:00 pm – Chicago Fire at Chivas USA  (ESPND, ESPN3)

Saturday, May 5, 2012

7:30 am – Motherwell at Rangers  (FSP)

7:45 am – Norwich City at (12) Arsenal  (ESPN2, ESPND, ESPN3)

9:30 am – (2) Bayern Munich at Cologne  (GolTV)

11:30 am – Borussia Mönchengladbach at Mainz 05  (Delayed) (GolTV)

12 noon – (7) Chelsea at Liverpool  (FSC, FoxD)

12 noon – Fiorentina at Lecce  (FSP)

12 noon – (16) Schalke 04 at Werder Bremen  (Delayed) (ESPND)

2:45 pm – Catania at Roma  (FSC, ESPN3)

3:00 pm – (1) Real Madrid at Granada  (GolTV)

3:00 pm – Málaga at Atlético Madrid  (ESPN3)

3:00 pm – Espanyol at (3) Barcelona  (ESPND, ESPN3)

3:00 pm – Real Sociedad at Osasuna  (ESPN3)

3:30 pm – Sporting CP at (9) Porto  (ESPN3)

7:00 pm – Club América at Pachuca  (TeleFutura)

8:00 pm – New York Red Bulls at Los Angeles Galaxy  (ESPN, ESPND, ESPN3)

9:00 pm – Tijuana at (19) Monterrey  (UniDep)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

6:30 am – Parma at Siena  (FSP, ESPN3)

8:30 am – (4) Manchester City at Newcastle United  (FSC, FoxD)

8:30 am – Ajax at Vitesse  (ESPND, ESPN3)

9:00 am – (5) Juventus at Cagliari  (ESPN3)

9:00 am – Stoke City at Queens Park Rangers  (FSP)

9:00 am – (20) Tottenham Hotspur at Aston Villa  (ESPN3)

9:00 am – Lazio at Atalanta

9:00 am – (23) Napoli at Bologna  (ESPN3)

10:30 am – Swansea City at (6) Manchester United  (FSC, FoxD)

11:00 am – Getafe at Athletic Bilbao  (Delayed) (GolTV)

11:00 am – Sunderland at Fulham  (Delayed) (FSP)

1:00 pm – Villarreal at (21) Valencia  (Delayed) (FolTV)

1:00 pm – Celtic at Dundee United  (Delayed) (FSP)

2:45 pm – AC Milan at Inter Milan  (FSC, FoxD, ESPN3)

3:00 pm – Liverpool at Peñarol  (GolTV)

3:00 pm – (15) Paris St.-Germain at Valenciennes  (FSP)

3:00 pm – Santos at Guarani  (ESPND)

5:30 pm – West Bromwich Albion at Bolton Wanderers  (Delayed) (FSP)

6:00 pm – Boca Juniors at Atlético Rafaela  (GolTV)

7:00 pm – Jaguares at (18) Santos Laguna  (UniDep)

7:00 pm – Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas  (Galavision)

9:00 pm – Tigres UANL at Morelia  (Azteca)

Monday, May 7, 2012

2:30 pm – Dunfermline at Hibernian  (FSP)

3:00 pm – (11) Montpellier at Stade Rennais  (FSC)

3:00 pm – Wigan Athletic at Blackburn Rovers  (ESPN2, ESPND, ESPN3)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Will We Go Round In Circles Edition

Real Madrid shouldn’t be number one because it lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals.  Bayern Munich shouldn’t be number one because it will finish second in the German Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund.  Dortmund shouldn’t be number one because it finished in fourth place in its Champions League group, which was won by Arsenal.  Arsenal shouldn’t be number one because it lost to AC Milan in the Champions League eighth-finals.  AC Milan shouldn’t be number one because it lost to Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals.  Barcelona shouldn’t be number one because it will finish second to Real Madrid in the Primera División.

That’s the short version.  Trust me, I could have used several pages and included over a hundred European clubs to start and finish a circle with any one of those hundred clubs.  It’s easy to pick the number one club when a team from Spain or England or Italy wins its domestic league and the Champions League.  Nobody, however, is going to do that this year.  Bayern will finish second in the Bundesliga and Chelsea is currently in sixth place in England’s Premier League.  Chances are, no matter what happens in the Champions League final, neither of those clubs will dislodge Real Madrid from the Number One position.  Chelsea still has lots of room to improve, but it won’t be reflected in the charts until it is able to move up the Premier League table.  Bayern is basically stuck because its position in the Bundesliga table has already been decided.  So, there’s your explanation.  Complain amongst yourselves.

There are several South American clubs between the positions of 25 and 35 this week.  After the eighth-finals of the Copa Libertadores conclude in two weeks, look for some of them to enter the rankings as the South American clubs will finally be eligible for bonus points, which were awarded to UEFA Champions League quarterfinalists over a month ago.  The rankings, they are a changin’.

Finally, allow me to congratulate Monterrey, who with a late goal against Santos Laguna, secured its second consecutive CONCACAF Champions League title and qualified for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, where I’m sure it’ll lose to somebody from Europe or South America.  I wasn’t supporting you, but I’ll give you props.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – April 30, 2012

1.  Real Madrid  (Esp) (1) – Real Madrid was able to defeat Bayern Munich at home 2-1 in the Champions League semifinals, but that was just enough to force the clubs into penalty kicks, where it got ugly quick for Real Madrid and the champions-in-waiting in the Spanish Primera Divsión was sent home (not really, it was already home) from European competition.  In La Liga, though, Real beat up on Sevilla by a 3-0 score to move ever-so-close to the Spanish title.  Coming Up:  Real Madrid should clinch at some point this week, either at Europa League finalist Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday or at Granada on Saturday.

2.  Bayern Munich  (Ger) (3) – Bayern moves up a spot after eliminating Real Madrid on penalty kicks from the UEFA Champions League and defeating VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in the German Bundesliga.  Coming Up:  Second-place Bayern is playing out its domestic season away at Cologne on Saturday.

3.  Barcelona  (Esp) (2) – A 2-2 draw with Chelsea at home wasn’t enough to keep Barcelona in the Champions League, as it will join Real Madrid in front of the television on May 19.  In the Primera División, Barça kept its slimmest of hopes alive by crushing Rayo Vallecano 7-0.  Coming Up:  Barcelona can warm up for its Copa del Rey final this week with home matches against Málaga on Wednesday and a derby against Espanyol on Saturday.

4.  Manchester City  (Eng) (6) – It only took one goal to move City back into the catbird’s seat in the English Premier League, winning the Manchester derby with a 1-0 victory over United.  Coming Up:  Next up, City will be at St. James’ Park to take on Newcastle United, who is battling for a European position.

5.  Juventus  (Ita) (5) – Juve is continuing to plough through to its first Serie A championship since it was relegated in 2006, beating Cesena 1-0 at midweek and knocking off Novara 4-0 over the weekend.  Coming Up:  It’s two more Serie A matches for Juventus this week, at home against Lecce on Wednesday and at Cagliari on Sunday.

6.  Manchester United  (Eng) (4) – With two games left in the season, United dropped to second place in the English Premier League by virtue of its 0-1 loss to hated rival Manchester City.  Coming Up:  If Manyoo can beat Swansea City 17-0 on Sunday, it’ll be in pretty good shape again in the title race.

7.  Chelsea  (Eng) (8) – This is pretty high for a sixth-place club, but Chelsea did advance to the UEFA Champions League final on aggregate following a 2-2 draw at Barcelona.  In the Premier League, Chelsea bounced back after some recent disappointments to score a 6-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers.  Coming Up:  A huge battle in the war for the final Champions League position from the Premier League will take place on Wednesday when Chelsea hosts Newcastle United.  In another big battle, Chelsea and Liverpool will go at it on Saturday in the final of the FA Cup.

8.  Borussia Dortmund  (Ger) (7) – The German Bundesliga champion continued to beat away at its domestic opponents, beating Kaiserslautern 5-2 this weekend.  Coming Up:  Next for Dortmund will be a home match against Freiburg on Saturday.

9.  Porto  (Por) (9) – Porto clinched its 26^th Portuguese title this weekend with a little help from Benfica and a 2-0 defeat of Maritimo.  Coming Up:  In what’s always a fun match, Porto will host Sporting CP on Saturday.

10.  AC Milan  (Ita) (10) – Milan keeps doing what it has to do, but Juventus isn’t providing a break to the defending Serie A champion.  This week, Milan beat Genoa 1-0 and took out Siena by a 4-1 score.  Coming Up:  Along with help from Juventus, Milan will look to defeat Atalanta on Wednesday and Inter Milan on Sunday to keep in the Serie A title race.

11.  Montpellier  (Fra) (11) – Montpellier was able to open up a 5-point lead in France’s Ligue 1 with a 1-0 victory over Toulouse.  Coming Up:  Montpellier will play two league matches this week, at home against Evian TG on Tuesday and at Stade Rennes next Monday.

12.  Arsenal  (Eng) (12) – The Gunners missed a chance to extend its third-place lead in the Premier League by settling for a 1-1 draw with Stoke City.  Coming Up:  Arsenal’s next match will be at home on Saturday against Norwich City.

13.  Olympiakos  (Gre) (13) – Olympiakos made it a domestic double this weekend by defeating Atromitos 2-1 in extra time to win the Greek Cup.  Coming Up:  Season complete.

14.  Benfica  (Por) (14) – Benfica drew 2-2 with Rio Ave this week, giving the Liga Sagres title to Porto, though to be fair, Porto probably would have won it on its own next weekend, anyway.  Coming Up:  Benfica will continue to play out the season, facing off against Uniáo de Leiria on Saturday.

15.  Paris St.-Germain  (Fra) (15) – PSG’s title hopes took a kick in the crotch this weekend with it losing 1-2 to third-place Lille to fall five points back of Montpellier in the Ligue 1 table.  Coming Up:  PSG will have two matchdays this week, against St.-Étienne on Wednesday at at Valenciennes on Sunday.

16.  Zenit St.-Petersburg  (Rus) (16) – Zenit clinched its third Russian Premier League title this weekend with a 2-1 victory over Dinamo Moscow.  Coming Up:  Zenit has nothing left two prove, and two matches this week to prove it in, at Rubin Kazan’ on Wednesday at against Spartak Moscow on Sunday.

17.  Schalke 04  (Ger) (17) – Schalke booked its spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League with a 4-0 defeat of Hertha Berlin.  Coming Up:  Schalke will close off its season on Saturday at Werder Bremen.

18.  Santos Laguna  (Mex) (21) – Santos defeated Monterrey 2-1 on Wednesday, but fell to its countrymen on aggregate in the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.  Santos did bounce back to defeat Atlas 3-1 and finish the Mexican Clausura regular season atop the table.  Coming Up:  In the first round of the Liguilla, Sanos will take on Jaguares, away on Thursday and at home on Sunday.

19.  Monterrey  (Mex) (BU) – A late goal at Santos Laguna allowed Monterrey to score a 3-2 aggregate victory in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League and earn Monterrey its second consecutive title in the North American championship tournament.  Monterrey suffered no hangover, coming out and defeating Atlante 3-0 over the weekend to finish the Clausura regular season with the second seed.  In the Liguilla, Monterrey will be at Tijana on Wednesday night and at home against Tijuana on Saturday.

20.  Tottenham Hotspur  (Eng) (25) – Spurs managed to win their first victory since April 1, defeating Blackburn Rovers 2-0, to move back into fourth place in the English Premier League.  Coming Up:  Two away matches for Tottenham this week see it play at Bolton on Wednesday and Aston Villa on Sunday.

21.  Valencia  (Esp) (18) – Valencia continues to struggle, losing 0-1 at home to Atlético Madrid to be eliminated from the Europa League and falling 0-1 at Málaga to drop into a tie for third place in the Spanish Primera División.  Coming Up:  If Valencia has an advantage in keeping its spot in La Liga, it’s the schedule.  Valencia will host Osasuna on Wednesday and Villarreal on Saturday.

22.  Shakhtar Donetsk  (Ukr) (19) – Shakhtar won a spot in the Ukrainian Cup finals this weekend with a 4-3 victory over Volyn.  Coming Up:  Shakhtar continues its quest for a Ukrainian double with a Wednesday Premier League match against Metalist and then a derby matchup with Metalurh Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup final on Saturday.

23.  Napoli  (Ita) (NR) – The club that knocked Man City out of the Champions League picked up four huge points this weekend on the road in Serie A, defeating Lecce 2-0 and finishing even at 2-2 with Roma.  Coming Up:  Napoli’s drive towards a Champions League spot continues with two more matches this week, at home against Palermo on Tuesday and at Bologna on Sunday.

24.  Sporting Braga  (Por) (22) – Braga’s late-season collapse continued this weekend with a 1-2 home loss against Olhanense.  Coming Up:  Braga’s next Liga Sagres opponent with be Beira-Mar at home on Saturday.

25.  Corinthians  (Bra) (24) – No matches this week.  Coming Up:  On Wednesday, Corinthians will begin its eighth-final matchup at Emelec in the Copa Libertadores.

Bubbling Under:  Boca Juniors  (Arg), Borussia Mönchengladbach  (Ger), Lille  (Fra), Panathinaikos  (Gre), Udinese  (Ita).

Next Five:  Dynamo Kyiv  (Ukr), Málaga  (Esp), Newcastle United  (Eng), Vasco da Gama  (Bra), Vélez Sarsfield  (Arg).

Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:

None.