Football

Champions League Power Rankings: Barcelona, Liverpool and Inter impress; Man City and Real Madrid stumble

Published

2d ago

Nov 10, 2024 / 1462 Views

Evan Walker

Just like that, the league phase of the Champions League is halfway over and there were some notable performances. Sporting CP knocked off Manchester City, Brest stayed undefeated and Barcelona rang in the goals yet again. As the table begins to take shape, so do the power rankings of how strong each side is. There's a new number one with Arne Slot's Liverpool being the only team with four wins in four matches but take a look at where everyone else sits.

Rank	Team	Change	Analysis
1	Liverpool	+1	Four wins from four matches, Arne Slot seems to be allergic to dropping points. A Luis Diaz hat trick in the second half paced Liverpool and each week a different attacker is showing why they should be feared.
2	Barcelona	+1	There isn't a team in the world that can slow this attack down. Behind another two goals from Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona dropped five goals on Crvena zvezda in a major route.
3	Inter	+4	This is a team that could win this competition. Converting a penalty right before halftime and then holding that lead behind important Yann Sommer saves, even when they aren't at their best, Inter can get the wins from anybody.
4	Manchester City	-3	Without Rodri it has become far too easy to play through Man City's midfield. Sporting CP made quick work of them and Erling Haaland missed a penalty. It's not time to push the panic button yet, but it has been moved to be within reach.
5	Arsenal	--	One penalty is all it takes to lose a game at this level. Arsenal created plenty of chances but couldn't find the finishing touch.
6	Atalanta	+4	Still yet to concede a goal in Champions League play, Atalanta secured more points with a victory over Stuttgart. Ademola Lookman continued his strong play and this is a team turning heads.
7	Monaco	+8	Another professional performance from Monaco and another three points, only six undefeated teams remain in the league phase, and Monaco are among them.
8	Sporting Club Lisbon	+5	Behind a Viktor Gyokeres hat trick, Ruben Amorim and Sporting CP were able to dismantle Manchester City. There are questions of what comes next with Amorim departing to Man United but he's leaving this side in an excellent position.
9	Lille	--	Have a day Jonathan David. With his first-half effort, he now has six goals in Champions League play. Lille are at the top of their game and getting points off of some of the top teams in the world.
10	Bayern Munich	+1	Bayern Munich did just enough to get past Benfica but it all counts the same as this was an important result for Vincent Komapny's men.
11	Bayer Leverkusen	-3	Going into Anfield and losing is one thing. Going into Anfield and being run out 4-0 is another. This isn't something that will cost Bayer Leverkusen much but it does temper expectations of how far they can go in this competition.
12	Real Madrid	-8	Los Blancos have a Kylian Mbappe problem. This attack is crying out for a proper nine, and so far, they haven't been able to get that from the Frenchman. To win another Champions League title, this team needs a shake-up.
13	Aston Villa	-7	Villa's charmed life has taken a hit. Only putting one shot on target in Belgium, they're unbeaten no longer in UCL play. Lack of depth was bound to catch up with them but now Unai Emery needs to regain balance.
14	Milan	+8	Behind another Christian Pulisic assist, Milan went into the Santiago Bernabeu and left with three points in a massive result. This could be the start of a trend with Rafael Leao also putting in a strong performance.
15	Brest	-1	Even away from home, Brest's strong play continues as French sides are putting in strong performances. Up to fourth in the table, Brest's inaugural Champions League is becoming one to remember.
16	Borussia Dortmund	+2	It took longer than expected to find a winner at home but keeping a clean sheet and collecting three points equals a job well done.
17	Atletico Madrid	+2	It took until deep into stoppage time but Angel Correa got the finishing touch for Diego Simone's men to secure their second victory of the league phase. Only being on six points through four matches isn't good enough but at least they're inside the top 24.
18	Juventus	-6	A draw is an okay result but Juventus had to be bailed out with a penalty. Since Bremer went down, this hasn't been the same team.
19	Celtic	+2	It's still hard to gauge who the real Celtic are but a comprehensive victory over RB Leipzig is a step closer to advancing past the league phase which would be a success for the Scottish side.
20	PSV	--	Defeating Girona was a landmark victory in this campaign for PSV and USMNT man Malik Tillman was integral, scoring a goal and assisting another.
21	Benfica	-4	It was a strong start to the league phase for Benfica but now losing two consecutive matches, they need to regain their form in the competition quickly.
22	Paris Saint-Germain	-8	Worry is building for PSG after dropping a winnable match at home to Atletico Madrid. Only scoring three goals in four matches, they're sorely missing Kylian Mbappe.
23	Dinamo Zagreb	+5	Don't look now but the Croatian side are quickly rising up the table after going unbeaten in their last three matches. This could be one of the surprise sides to make it out of the league phase.
24	VfB Stuttgart	--	Stuttgart are in every game but is unable to make it count. Four points in four is okay but Denis Undav has to turn into what Serhou Guirassy was.
25	Club Brugge	+4	Finally, their good play has been rewarded. Knocking off Aston Villa in Belgium is the kind of win that Brugge need to advance.
26	Girona	-3	Another side with a Champions League debut to forget, Girona's loss to PSV was quite a damaging one. The Spanish side will need to quickly find their footing.
27	Feyenoord	-2	Following up a big win with a damaging loss, Feyenoord still haven't come close to matching last season's form.
28	Sparta Praha	-2	A strong start to the league phase has now become two consecutive losses. This match was a winnable one against Brest and those points lost could hurt.
29	RB Leipzig	-2	Four games, zero points. They may be second in the Bundesliga but with no points in Champions League, worry is setting in.
30	Shakhtar Donetsk	+2	The first victory in the Champions League is the toughest one and now that Shakhtar has pulled that out, it's a time to begin looking forward.
31	RB Salzburg	+4	Finally off the mark with a victory, RB Salzburg played some of the match up a man but they'll take points any way that they can find them.
32	Bologna	-2	Still in search of their first Champions League goal, Bologna's defense will only get them so far.
33	Young Boys	-2	Another week of being in a match but another loss in the tournament.
34	Crvena zvezda	-1	Another heavy defeat in Serbia, this time to Barcelona, and it's just been a bad run for Crvena zvezda.
35	SK Sturm Graz	-1	Close losses may be nice but they still don't count for much even if they're against Borussia Dortmund. Austria's poor run in Champions League play continues.
36	Slovan Bratislava	--	Letting in goals left and right, Slovan Bratislava could set a record with the most goals conceded in six matches if they allow nine more to hit the back of the net in their next two matches.

Don't miss CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.