📈 Power Rankings: Two new entrants, Barcelona rise up | OneFootball

This week’s Power Rankings feature two new surprise entrants and a rise for Barcelona back up the table.

10. Bologna 🆕 (Last week: N/A)

“1-0 to the Bologna..”

It doesn’t quite have the same ring as the famous Arsenal anthem, but it’s very apparent. The Italian outfit has reeled off five wins on the spin to enter our Power Rankings, with each of the last four by a 1-0 scoreline.

9. Manchester United ↔️ (Last week: 9th)

Manchester United remain ninth after a mixed week for the club under their caretaker coach, Michael Carrick.

Maxence Lacroix’s red card was the boost the Red Devils needed to overcome Crystal Palace, but another man advantage did not aid their cause at Newcastle. William Osula’s last-minute winner condemned Carrick to his first defeat.

8. Sporting Lisbon 🆕 (Last week: N/A)

Sporting Lisbon leap into the Power Rankings table after a fine run of form. The Portuguese champions have won nine of their last 10 in all competitions, with a draw against Primeira Liga leaders Porto the only blemish on that record. The capital club has slashed the gap to Porto to just four points.

7. Inter Milan ⬆️ (Last week: 10th)

Without being entirely convincing, Inter Milan have steadied the ship since their Bodo/Glimt disaster. The Nerazzurri got back on track with a 2-0 win over Genoa in Serie A, to reemphasise their commanding lead at the top of the table. A forgettable goalless draw on the road at Como also leaves Inter in a good position in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

6. RC Lens ↔️ (Last week: 6th)

Is the dream dying? Lens lost ground on Paris Saint-Germain for the second straight week, after being held at Strasbourg. The gap’s grown to four points in the title race as the underdogs have wobbled.

5. Real Madrid (Last week: 4th)

Alvaro Arbeloa has said Real Madrid ‘must grow in adversity’ after a third defeat in four games. A shock setback against Getafe at the Bernabeu continued their concerning form, leaving them four points behind Barcelona. There’s no margin for error now.

4. Man City (Last week: 3rd)

Is this the week that the Premier League pendulum swung irreversibly in Arsenal’s favour? Manchester City twice squandered the lead to draw with struggling Nottingham Forest, in a week where their biggest rivals ground out two hugely important wins.

City have the know-how in the run-in, but the league looks Arsenal’s to lose now.

3. Barcelona ⬆️ (Last week: 5th)

Performance-wise, few teams had a better week than Barcelona.

The Catalans crushed Villarreal 4-1 to extend their La Liga lead, before a valiant – if unsuccessful – effort to turn around their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid. Four goals down from the first leg, a 3-0 win saw Barcelona threaten the unthinkable.

Regardless, it’s a win that has breathed confidence into their campaign.

“If we continue to play like this, we will win the Champions League and La Liga,” defender Ronaldo Araujo boldly claimed this week.

2. Arsenal ↔️ (Last week: 2nd)

Arsenal are edging ever closer. Two massive wins when below their best have extended their advantage in the Premier League to seven points, with Manchester City’s slip-up giving the Gunners space to breathe. City retain a game in hand, but the Gunners are in control of the race.

Mikel Arteta has shot down critics of his team’s play, with Arsenal ultimately doing what’s required to win. Tough wins against Chelsea and Brighton over the past week could be defining.

1. Bayern Munich ↔️ (Last week: 1st)

While Europe’s other top leagues all have varying degrees of jeopardy, the Bundesliga as a contest looks done and dusted. Bayern bested nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker to move 11 clear in a one-horse title race.

The title looks like a procession, but individual and team records might be the narrative of the run-in. Harry Kane has 10 games to score the 12 goals required to break Robert Lewandowski’s record for goals in a single season (41).

Read – Bruno Fernandes closes in on Manchester United assist record

See Also – Promotion chasers handed a boost after Championship play-off changes

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