Sorry about the week’s absence, my friends, but I spent last weekend on top of Mt. Sinai and you’d be amazed at poor the WiFi reception is up there. I have to admit that except for a little bit of the Manchester United – Arsenal match, I didn’t see too much football this weekend, either, because I was crossing the Jordanian/Israeli border and floating in the Dead Sea. Nevertheless, I do have WiFi in my hotel in Jerusalem, so I was able to crunch the numbers and bring back the WCR Top 25.
I don’t believe too much exciting has happened in the rankings in the past two weeks, but a quick review does highlight a few items. For instances, after an approximately two-month absence, a Latin American club has returned to the rankings as Argentine Apertura champions Banfield comes in at number twenty-four following its Clausura-opening 1-0 victory over River Plate at Monumental. Also returning to the rankings is Porto, who is continuing to try to chase down Benfica and Sporting Braga in the Liga Sagres.
Among the clubs that have benefitted in the rankings by moving up in their respective domestic tables are Bayern Munich, Manchester City and PSV Eindhoven, who has moved to the top of the Eredivisie table.
The big match of the weekend will take place on Sunday, when Arsenal visits top-ranked Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. That match should make for a good appetizer leading up to the Super Bowl. (Go Colts!!!) As far as the real football is concerned, below are the current rankings in the WCR Top 25.
World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – February 1, 2010
1. Chelsea (Eng) (1) – It was a good week for Chelsea, who managed to solidify its spot atop the Premiership table and the WCR rankings with a 3-0 victory over a hot Birmingham City club and a 2-1 away victory against Burnley. Coming Up: On Tuesday, the Blues will face Hull City in a makeup Premiership match. On Sunday, all eyes will be on Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hosts Arsenal.
2. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – I didn’t see the match, but I saw a lot of articles indicating that Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Gijon was somewhat controversial. Like Barcelona needs the help. Coming Up: Having been knocked out of the Copa del Rey, Barça is off until it hosts Getafe on Sunday.
3. Inter Milan (Ita) (4) – Inter’s only match this week was a Coppa Italia match against struggling Juventus that Inter won 1-0. Coming Up: Inter Milan continues in the Coppa Italia with a match against Fiorentina on Wednesday. On Sunday, Inter will return to Serie A action against Cagliari.
4. Manchester United (Eng) (8) – It was a very good week for the Red Devils. Following a 3-1 Carling Cup victory over Manchester City at midweek, United defeated Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on the weekend by the same 3-1 score. Coming Up: Manchester United returns to action on Saturday against cellar dwellers Portsmouth.
5. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (5) – Leverkusen continues to play like a club on a mission, defeating Freiburg 3-1 to maintain its lead over Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. Coming Up: Bayer Leverkusen’s next match will be against VfL Bochum in a Bundesliga match on Saturday.
6. Real Madrid (Esp) (6) – Real Madrid kept pace with Barcelona this weekend by scoring a 3-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruña this weekend. Coming Up: On Saturday, Real Madrid will face off with Espanyol.
7. Benfica (Por) (7) – Benfica maintains its spot near the top of the rankings after defeating Vitória Guimaraes in yet another 3-1 match in Liga Sagres play. Coming Up: Benfica has a pair of matches this week, first against União de Leiria on Wednesday and then on Saturday against Vitória Setúbal.
8. Arsenal (Eng) (3) – This wasn’t the best of weeks for the Gunners who followed up a goalless draw against Aston Villa with a 1-3 loss at home against Sir Alex and the Boys on Sunday. Coming Up: Believe it or not, it’s not getting easier for Arsenal as it will have to travel to London to take on top-ranked Chelsea on Sunday.
9. Bordeaux (Fra) (9) – Bordeaux advanced in the French Coupe de la Ligue with a 3-2 victory over Le Mans at midweek. In Ligue Un action, Bordeaux stumbled a bit with a 0-0 draw against Boulogne. Coming Up: This will be another two-match week for Bordeaux, playing Sedan in a Cope de la Ligue match on Tuesday and facing Stade Rennes in league play on Saturday.
10. Bayern Munich (Ger) (16) – Bayern continued its good current form with a 3-0 victory over Mainz 05 to keep pace with Bayer Leverkusen. Coming Up: Bayern Munich returns to Bundesliga action on Saturday against VfL Wolfsburg.
11. Valencia (Esp) (10) – Though still in third place in La Liga, Valencia took a hit this weekend by falling 1-2 to Sevilla. Coming Up: Sevilla will host Real Valladolid on Saturday in its next Pimera Division match.
12. AC Milan (Ita) (10) – After a few months of playing quite well, Milan has returned to Earth. (I blame David Beckham. Just ‘cause.) Milan fell this week in the Coppa Italia with a 0-1 loss to Udinese. In Serie A action, Milan drew 1-1 with Livorno over the weekend. Coming Up: Milan’s next match will be on Sunday in an away matchup with Bologna.
13. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (20) – After moving to the top of the Eredivisie table last weekend, PSV fell back to earth this past week. After suffering a 0-3 defeat to Feyenoord in its KNVB Beker match, PSV managed only a goalless draw against Vitesse in league action. Coming Up: PSV will participate in a pair of league matches this week, first against Utrecht on Wednesday and then against ADO Den Haag on Saturday.
14. Manchester City (Eng) (25) – Man City’s recent success in the Premiership didn’t translate to the Carling Cup, where it fell 1-3 this week to cross-town rivals United. In league play, City scored a 2-0 victory over last-place Portsmouth. Coming Up: On Saturday, City will play its Premiership away match against Hull City.
15. Panathinaikos (Gre) (14) – Panathinaikos was pulled a little closer to the rest of the Greek Super League this week with a 1-1 draw against AEK Athens. Coming Up: This is also Cup week in Greece and Panathinaikos will host GS Kallithea on Wednesday in Cup play. In its weekly league match, Panathinaikos takes on Larissa on Sunday.
16. Schalke 04 (Ger) (15) – Schalke 04 kept pace with the rest of the clubs in the Bundesliga title hunt with a 2-0 home victory against TSG Hoffenheim. Coming Up: Schalke 04 hits the road on Saturday to take on Freiburg.
17. Lille (Fra) (12) – Lille started the week by being eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue via a 1-2 loss to Marseille. In Ligue Un play, Lille defeated Lens 1-0 to move two points closer to leaders Bordeaux. Coming Up: Lille will return to Ligue Un play on Saturday against Nice.
18. Sporting Braga (Por) (18) – Braga continued to stay level with Benfica following a 1-0 home victory against the second-best “Sporting” in Portugal, Sporting CP. Coming Up: The week begins on Wednesday for Braga with a Taça de Portugal match against Rio Ave. On Monday, Braga will return to Liga Sagres action against Os Belenenses.
19. Rangers (Sco) (17) – Yet another Scottish butt-kicking week for Rangers (too bad they can’t do it against anybody outside of the country), defeating St. Mirren 2-0 and following that up with a 3-0 defeat of last-place Falkirk. Coming Up: Two matches in two cups this week for Rangers, who will face St. Johnstone on Wednesday in a League Cup match and St. Mirren on Saturday in a Scottish FA Cup matchup.
20. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) (13) – I made an English friend in the Middle East who keeps berating me over my mispronunciation of Tottenham. While I make an attempt at self-improvement, TottenHAM has stymied just a bit drawing 1-1 with Birmingham City following a 2-0 victory over Fulham earlier in the week. Coming Up: On Wednesday, the Spurs will replay Leeds United in a FA Cup matchup. In Premiership action, Tottenham will host Aston Villa on Saturday.
21. Roma (Ita) (19) – Roma has demonstrated that its return to the rankings was warranted in a week in which it advanced in the Coppa Italia with a 1-0 victory over Catania, followed by a 2-1 victory over Siena in the Serie A. Coming Up: On Thursday, Roma will take on Udinese in another Coppa Italia match. Roma’s next Serie A match will be on Sunday against Fiorentina.
22. Porto (Por) (BU) – It’s about time. Porto finally returns to the rankings following a 4-0 victory over Nacional as it attempts to chase down Benfica and Braga in the Liga Sagres. Coming Up: On Tuesday, Porto will host Sporting CP in a Taça de Portugal matchup. In the Liga Sagres, Porto will host Naval on Sunday.
23. Rubin Kazan (Rus) (24) – No current matches.
24. Banfield (Arg) (BU) – Speaking of being about time, Banfield comes back to the rankings to represent South America for the time being. This week, Banfield opened its Argentine title defense with a 1-0 victory over River Plate at Monumental. Coming Up: It’s Juniors week for Banfield this week as it takes on Argentinos Juniors on Thursday and Chacarita Juniors on Sunday.
25. Sevilla (Esp) (NF) – Another worthy return to the rankings is made by Sevilla this week. Despite losing 0-1 in its Copa del Rey match against Deportivo La Coruña, Sevilla continues in the tournament on aggregate goals. In Primera Division action, Sevilla scored a huge 2-1 victory over Valencia. Coming Up: On Wednesday, Sevilla will host Getafe in another Copa del Rey match. In domestic league action, Sevilla heads north to take on Real Zaragoza on Sunday.
Bubbling Under: Ajax (Ned), Flamengo (Bra), Internacional (Bra), Napoli (Ita), Twente (Ned).
Next Five: Aston Villa (Eng), Hamburger SV (Ger), Lyon (Fra), Mallorca (Esp), Olympiakos (Gre).
Matches Coming Up This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:
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